The Gifted and the Cursed
by Unanimous
Summary: Mac, Elissa, Reid, and Renee are relatively normal students at Hogwarts...except for the fact that they're each different in extraordinary ways. Meanwhile, a strange new enemy is rising... OC. NOTE: J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter universe. I do not.
1. The Meeting

Two people sat beneath a flickering electrical light, their shadows cast dimly onto the wall behind them.

The man was fiddling with the buttons on his robe, seemingly unaware of anything going on around him. His sleek black hair was combed to one side, and his face was cleanly shaved. He was scowling to himself.

The woman had her eyes closed. A look of deep concentration covered her face. Her dark brown hair was slightly rumpled, but she didn't show any signs of noticing it.

"Where is he?" said the man suddenly. He glared at the woman.

"Shhh!" snapped the woman, her eyes still closed. "I think you will find that he is eavesdropping right outside the shack."

The man raised his eyebrows and walked to a worn wooden door. He opened it and peered outside. There was a loud pop, and another man, slightly more tall in stature than the first, was standing right in front of him.

The woman opened her eyes slowly. They were deep brown. "What took you so long, Arnold?"

Arnold pushed past the man and sat at the table. "I have many things to do, Olivia."

"Then can you explain why you were lurking outside instead of coming in?"

"I simply wanted to make sure you were the real thing," shot Arnold. "And apparently you are."

"Of course I am the real thing! The Seeing Eye has run in my family for centuries!"

"He never said it didn't," said the other man gently. "He only wanted to make sure it wasn't a trick."

Olivia sniffed loudly. "You would never understand, you're only a Squib—"

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" roared the man angrily.

"Calm yourself, Wendell," said Olivia, clearly pleased that she had gotten such a reaction from him. "I only meant that you don't know what it feels like to be accused again and again of being a fraud. But then, we Seers have always been a target of ridicule from wizards."

Wendell grumbled to himself for a moment, and then said slowly, "Yes, as have the Squibs."

"And us, the werewolves, have suffered more persecution than the rest of the magical community put together," growled Arnold.

"That is why we must gather an army," said Olivia quietly. "The giants will come without hesitation, you know how they hate it when magic is used against them, but the Dementors might need a little persuading…"

"I can convince some other werewolves to come but—Olivia!"

Olivia had gone rigid, her whole body twitching madly. Her eyes rolled back into her head.

Wendell stood up so fast that he knocked his chair over. "Do something!" he said to Arnold. "I can't do magic!"

"_Aguamenti!_"

Water sprayed from the tip of Arnold's wand onto Olivia. Finally, the spasm subsided and she stirred slightly.

"What happened?" demanded Wendell, the color gone from his face.

"Vision," gasped Olivia. "I had a vision."

Arnold kneeled down by her chair. "What did you See?"

"Wars, many wars, people dying…But we had an army. Many had joined us…but there were people running everywhere, I couldn't See properly…Something was interfering… something from far away…"

"Shh," said Arnold. "That's enough. This meeting is over. We've done enough."

Wendell looked at him solemnly. "We are about to start something bigger than this world has ever seen. It's insane."

"If you don't want to go through with it, then leave," stated Arnold dryly. "We need only people who we know will be loyal to the cause."

Wendell flushed. "I _am_ loyal."

"Good," said Arnold. "But I must be going." With another loud pop, he disappeared.


	2. An Adventure

Elissa rolled out of bed and dropped onto the floor. She laughed when she looked in the mirror. Her hair was unruly and looked frighteningly like a hedgehog. She concentrated very hard, and it began to slowly de-frizz.

She changed quickly into some Muggle jeans and her faded Chudley Cannons t-shirt. Closing the door to her room behind her, she rocketed down the stairs.

Her mom was in the kitchen making breakfast. "Morning," said Elissa, and she continued out through the door.

The early sunlight was just beginning to light up the surrounding fields. Elissa raced to the shed.

She opened the door quietly, making sure her mom didn't hear. She tiptoed inside, reaching around on the nearby counter for her father's old wand. When she found it, she muttered, "_Lumos_."

She knew her parents wouldn't be happy if they ever found out what she really did in the shed. They were convinced she just liked to explore.

Just a few days earlier, she'd received her Hogwarts acceptance letter. She'd known for years that she'd be going; once she had managed to make her pet cat, normally black, turn a bright shade of green. Since then, she'd been doing small amounts of magic behind her parents' backs (besides her normal manner of changing her appearance). She didn't think the Ministry noticed if young witches and wizards performed magic at home before they went to school…

She rummaged around in the shed for a moment until she came upon her mom's old broom.

It was old. The twigs on the tail were starting to shed, but she'd been able to swipe a copy of a broomstick care manual from the family room. After she trimmed the bushy tail and polished it up a bit, it was as handsome as it would ever be.

She carried the old broom out of the shed very carefully. Stowing her father's old wand in her back pocket for safe-keeping, she wandered around the house and into the cluster of trees nearest to her home.

Elissa mounted the broomstick and kicked off from a large rock. It wobbled for a moment at a foot off the ground, and started to rise slowly.

"Come on," she murmured when the broom shuddered and threatened to stall. "Don't give out on me!"

Elissa leaned forward, and the broom slowly started to move again. Gritting her teeth, she egged it on through the trees. When she was sure no one in her house could see her, she started to gather more speed. Her stomach did a summersault as she did a small dive. She was tempted to give a shout of joy, but she conquered the impulse.

The trees zoomed by as she urged the broom forward. She hoped she wouldn't be late…

A small clearing came into view. She slowed the broom down and landed. No one was there.

"He better not forget," she grumbled.

"Forget what?"

Elissa wheeled around. "You made it!" she exclaimed.

A boy was standing at the edge of the trees, clutching a broom of his own. It was slightly shabbier than hers.

"Duh," he said, laughing. "Did you think I'd get caught or something?"

Elissa grinned. "It's good to see you, Mac."

"You, too, Liss."

Mac had reddish-blond hair and a strong jaw. He beamed at her.

"Now what do you want to do?" asked Elissa.

"I don't know. Let's go for a ride in the woods."

She and Mac had planned this for a long time. They had last seen each other at a party thrown by Mac's parents. They knew they wouldn't be seeing each other until probably the start of term at Hogwarts.

Elissa nodded and mounted her broom. She kicked off. This time, the broom didn't shudder at all as she rose.

She turned to watch Mac. He sped by her, his hair flying everywhere.

"Hey!" said Elissa. She shot forward, gaining on him quickly. "What are you doing?"

"Racing you!" said Mac, laughing. He leaned forward, making his broom go even faster. Elissa laughed and urged her broom to burst toward him.

The gap was closed quickly. "What broom are you riding?" asked Mac as Elissa pulled up beside him.

"It's an old Cleansweep, nothing like the new brooms out," said Elissa. "What about you?"

"Mine is a Shooting Star! Piece of rubbish, if you ask me… They should have named them 'Stupid Stars'."

Elissa laughed.

They rode through the woods for a while longer, dodging trees.

"So…how's life?"

"I got my Hogwarts acceptance letter a few days ago," said Elissa.

"Me too!" exclaimed Mac. "I hope I'm in Gryffindor…I suppose Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff would be okay, too."

"I bet I'm in Ravenclaw," sighed Elissa. "But it would be great to be in Gryffindor since my parents were."

"Well, I just don't want to be in Slytherin," growled Mac. "I think I'd die."

"Slytherins aren't all bad," defended Elissa. "They have a bad reputation with a lot of people, but some of my parents' closest friends were Slytherins."

Mac shrugged. "Still, some of the Slytherins that I know look like a motley crew. I don't know if I would want that kind of reputation...no offense to them or anything."

"True," added Elissa.

"It would be fun to be a Hufflepuff because they're a friendly bunch. I'm sure I would get along with them all really easily."

Elissa shrugged. Truthfully, she thought it would be awesome to be in any of the four houses. Even Slytherin would be great. All had produced outstanding witches and wizards.

"I'm going to try out for the Quidditch team," she said.

"Yeah, I want to try out, too. I just wish we were allowed to bring our own broom."

Elissa shrugged. "I've been flying my entire life. I know that first years rarely make the team, but still..." Her voice trailed off into nothingness.

"I think you would be able to make the team," said Mac in a hushed voice.

Elissa beamed. "Really?"

"Yeah," said Mac, smiling at Elissa. "You're a great flier."

"I hope we're in the same house," she said with a sigh. "And on the same team and everything..." She looked at Mac desperately.

"We will be," he said with confidence. He didn't look at her when he said it, but she knew that he meant what he said.

There was silence. Coldness and fear seemed to envelop them. She wanted so badly to be with her best friend when they finally attended Hogwarts...

Then she realized...

That cold wasn't just in her imagination...

"Dementors!" she gasped.

They stopped their brooms. Mac glanced at Elissa worriedly. "What do we do? We can't do magic yet! They'll crush us like flobberworms..."

Elissa drew her father's old wand and looked around wildly. "We should land. But keep your broomstick by you in case we need to make a quick escape." She descended and touched down with an inaudible thump.

There were noises from behind tall undergrowth. Someone was speaking...

Elissa crept closer, peering through the bushes.

"Come back here!" hissed Mac.

Wielding her wand like a dagger, she could barely make out a tall man speaking with two Dementors...

"You have served them long enough... The wizards have forced you to guard that awful prison... It is time to rebel..."

But before she could hear more, Elissa's breath seemed to freeze in her throat. Cold and despair washed over her, and she turned slowly.

One Dementor was closing in on her and Mac. She pointed her wand at it, her hand shaking madly. "I'm warning you," she said in a small voice. "Don't come closer..."

Her voice caught. It was hopeless, all was hopeless... She was going to die, no, she was going to suffer something worse than death... The Dementor was drawing near... Her vision was fuzzing around the edges, her body going limp.

_No._

She clenched her fist around her wand, forcing herself to stay upright.

"Help... Help..." She couldn't make her voice work, it was a feeble little sound, no louder than a gentle summer breeze...

Mac was going to fall to the forest floor, he was slipping, slipping, slipping, the Dementor advancing, gliding toward him...

"Help me..." It was a whisper, no one could hear, no one would come, they would die here...

"_Lumos!"_

WHOOSH.

Light erupted before Elissa's eyes. It blinded the Dementor, keeping it away just long enough. She grabbed Mac and his broom and shoved him onto the Cleansweep behind her. She leaped from the ground, and the forest fell away. Speeding through the canopy, the air was becoming warmer. The sun was shining through the leaves, she savored the heat, they would be okay, they were going to live...

Finally, it was the forest clearing where they had met. She landed with a crash, and Mac tumbled unceremoniously to the ground. Elissa was sprawled on all fours, vomiting onto the clean grass. Mac was stirring.

"You saved us both..."

Elissa sputtered uselessly. "But how... No..."

"You held it off... saved my life..."

They were crying, sobbing into each other. Finally, they wiped away their tears.

"That was the bravest thing anyone has ever done for me," said Mac quietly. "Elissa... I... Thank you."

Elissa nodded curtly. She didn't know what to say. After all, she had just barely managed that one bit of magic. It had been a simple accident, a simple, _lucky_, accident.

"Who was that man?" asked Elissa. "Hanging out with Dementors..."

"I dunno," answered Mac. "But if they're the only friends he could find, he must have a depressing life..."

Elissa giggled feebly. It wasn't so scary now that they were away from the cold.

"I'll need to get going," said she said, still smiling. She pushed off from the ground on her Cleansweep and soared toward the trees. "I'll send you an owl as soon as I can. If we don't see each other before September first..." She grinned. "Then I'll see you at Hogwarts."

She shot forward, weaving through the trees with increasing confidence. Her adventure with Mac was replaying through her mind, but she couldn't stop thinking about how she had done that magic to hold off the Dementor... It was thrilling to remember, and surely her mother hadn't noted her absence yet...

The house came into view, and she hopped onto the ground, landing in a sprint for the shed. And she almost made it, too.

"Elissa?"

Elissa stopped in her tracks. She attempted to hide the Cleansweep behind her back. "Yes, Mother?"

"What are you doing with that broomstick?"

Elissa shifted uncomfortably, not daring to look at her mother, silhouetted in the kitchen window. "Well, er, I don't suppose you've ridden it recently, have you? It's quite a good broom, seems a shame it should gather dust in the shed…"

"Have you been _flying_ on it?!" cried her mother, outraged.

"I suppose you could say that, but it was more of a short excursion."

"ELISSA MARIETTA BRADSHAW!"

Elissa flinched. It could never mean something good when her parents used her full name. "Yes?" she said rather hesitantly.

"You should never use magical items without my or your father's—IS THAT YOUR FATHER'S OLD WAND?!"

Elissa shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Well, he never uses it. And it's not like I'd break it or something."

"Have you been doing magic? LOOK AT ME WHEN I AM SPEAKING TO YOU!"

Elissa looked up slowly at her mother. "Mom, all I can do is the _Lumos_ thingy—"

"I don't care if you can do a Confundus Charm, you—"

"What's a—"

"Don't interrupt! You have just broken the Restriction for Underage Wizardry! You could be thrown out of Hogwarts!"

"But I haven't even been there yet!"

"You did magic!"

"Mom! I don't think they notice if magic is done by someone who hasn't started school yet, I've been doing it for ages!"

Her mother looked as if she was about to faint. "Ages? But I thought that time—with Hobgob's fur—that was the only time…You turned him green! And then there's the... the... change-y thing that you do..."

At any other time, Elissa would have laughed. "Well…yeah. I figured it would be okay if I did a little more…I mean…you know…I read some of your old school text books…It looked fun."

Her mother shook her head, her face as pale as a ghost. "Liss…"

Elissa sighed. When her mother called her by her nickname, it usually meant the yelling was over. "Sorry," she said quietly.

"I don't think you realize how serious this is," said her smother sadly. "I'm so disappointed in you."

Elissa felt her spirits drop. "I'm sorry, I really am."

Apparently unable to speak, her mother only shook her head and withdrew farther into the house, shutting the window behind her.

Elissa walked slowly to the shed and stowed the Cleansweep. She took out her father's old wand and stared at it for a moment, and then put it back in her pocket. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her…"

She stalked back into the house, avoiding the kitchen, and dragged herself onto her bed.

She took out the wand and admired it. It was like an old friend. Even though she couldn't do substantial magic with it, she felt stronger having it with her. It made her feel like she could do things...

She kneeled on the floor and stashed it under her bed. Smiling to herself mischievously, she crouched down and crawled to one of the corners of her room.

Her house had been old when they first moved in eight years ago. They had done many renovations, but it still had some of its old charm.

Elissa put her hand onto a particularly worn plank of wood and pushed. A small hole, just big enough for someone to crawl through, swung open.

She shot a furtive look over her shoulder, hoping her mother wouldn't need her for a while, and squeezed through it.

The passage was small and dark, but she'd learned not to be afraid. She followed it along until it opened up into a very small room, hardly the size of her twin-sized bed. She scooted to the middle and made herself comfortable.

The events from several minutes earlier seemed to dissolve in the engulfing quiet. She found herself letting her mind wander…

Mac's family was pure-blooded, but they never mentioned it. They were kind, decent people. He had two younger sisters and a younger brother, just a toddler. They had known the Bradshaws for what seemed like forever…

She was back in the forest clearing, the Cleansweep clutched tightly in one hand, her father's wand in the other. She walked forward, glancing from side to side warily. Something was watching her…

She wandered slowly farther into the woods, occasionally glancing over her shoulder.

Something moved in the bushes. She whipped around, holding out the wand in a threatening way. She searched the underbrush curiously.

She turned away, but suddenly, there it was: a pair of big, yellow eyes, staring at her from the shadows…

"Elissa! _Elissa_!"

Elissa stirred. She blinked.

"ELISSA!" called her mother.

The world came crashing down on her. She scrambled to a sitting position and dragged herself through the passage. "Coming!" she said.

She emerged into her bedroom and quickly sealed off the hole, touching the worn wooden plank.

Her mother banged on the door. "We're going to Diagon Alley."

Elissa could tell her mom was still unhappy about the broom incident, but the thought of visiting her favorite place (besides the woods near her house) made her stomach jump. "'Kay, I'm getting ready!"

She rummaged in her closet for something slightly less casual than her fraying old Chudley Canons shirt. She found several shirts that she'd forgotten she had, including one that had "RODERICK PLUMPTON" written in all caps and one that had a moving picture of a wand shooting out different colored sparks.

She decided on a green shirt with a large Golden Snitch pictured on the front, and she slipped into her best traveling robes. She rocketed out the door and down the stairs, nearly running into her younger sister, Fedora.

"Sorry," she muttered, and slipped around her. She ambled into the kitchen.

Her father was sitting at the table, sipping a mug of butterbeer.

"Hi, Dad," she said.

"Sit down," he said, gesturing to the empty seats. "It'll be a while before we leave."

Elissa chose a seat on the opposite side of the table. She didn't know if he was angry at her for using his old wand…

"I heard you rode your mother's Cleansweep into the woods," he said casually.

"Er," said Elissa.

"How'd it go?" asked her father, lowering his voice. "It used to ride well, but it might have warped over time."

Elissa searched her fathers face for some sort of resentment, but she saw none. There was a playful glint in his eyes.

"It was great! I love to fly, it's amazing!"

"And my old wand?" he continued. "Did it work for you?"

"Yeah," whispered Elissa, grinning. "I can't wait to get my own…will we get it today?"

"As far as I know." Her father set down his mug. "Don't say anything to her yet, I'm sure your mom wouldn't mind if you wanted to take that old Cleansweep to school…"

Elissa laughed. "First years aren't allowed a broom! And besides, I really want a Firebolt…"

"A Firebolt?" said her dad, looking at her. He knitted his brow. "Those are really expensive." He lost himself in thought, mumbling occasionally.

Seeing that her father had finished talking, Elissa rose and walked out of the kitchen and into the washroom. She shut the door and gazed into the mirror.

She smiled, and her eyes flashed blue for a moment. Her hair, naturally golden brown, lightened slightly into a reddish tint.

The one thing that made Elissa most proud was the fact that she was a Metamorphmagus.

She walked back out into the side hallway. "I'm ready."

Her mom emerged from the kitchen. She looked slightly rumpled and still angry about earlier. "Alright, let me get Fedora and we can leave."

All four of them gathered around the fireplace after several minutes, and Elissa's father stepped into the hearth. "Diagon Alley!" he said, throwing Floo Powder downward. A flash of emerald flames engulfed him, and he was gone.

Elissa went next. She took a fistful of Floo Powder and stepped onto the place her father had stood on just a moment before. "Diagon Alley!"


	3. Diagon Alley

Renee was looking at different books on the shelf when it happened. She felt a large shove and she fell face-first into the rack, knocking half the books onto the floor. There was a muffled scuffling behind her, and she turned.

"Sorry," said a breathless girl with golden-red hair. "I tripped." The girl held out her hand to help Renee get up. She took it, and heaved herself into a standing position.

"I'm Elissa," said the girl. "You can call me Liss if you want."

"I'm Renee," said Renee, laughing. "I don't really have a nickname…"

Elissa—Liss?—laughed too. "Sorry again," she said.

"No problem," said Renee.

"Are you going to Hogwarts?" asked Elissa, raising her eyebrow in a questioning way.

"Yeah, are you?"

Elissa nodded. "I can't wait!"

Renee surveyed her for a moment, silence stretching between them. "Well, I should probably go," she said flatly, eager to break the icy quiet. She turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Renee looked back at Elissa.

"Do you want to buy supplies with me? My family went to go shopping with my younger sister…"

Renee hesitated. "Um…"

"Oh—I understand if you don't want to," said Elissa hurriedly. "I mean we just met, and we don't know each other very well…" Her voice trailed off.

"No, no! It's not that, it's just…I was going to meet someone at Gringotts…" Elissa looked crestfallen, and she added quickly, "But I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I brought a friend!"

Elissa looked up brightly. "Are you sure? I don't want to impose on anything…"

"No, no, it's fine."

Elissa beamed. "That sounds great!"

"Okay. I told him I'd meet him in about five minutes."

The two walked out of the store, chatting merrily. "So…um…" said Elissa. "Well, where do you live?"

"I live up near the border of Scotland," said Renee.

"Cool! I live off in the country just outside Ottery St. Catchpole. It can get boring, but the scenery is beautiful!"

Elissa stopped walking abruptly. Renee kept going a few steps before she noticed. "Hey, why did you stop?"

Elissa just shook her head, gazing into a shop window. Renee took a closer look and knew immediately why.

A handsome broomstick was displayed in the shop exhibit. Its tail was flawless, every twig trimmed and positioned to be perfectly straight. The handle was finely shaped and polished, shining sleekly behind the glass. The whole broom was extraordinarily made, sanded and ground to have a speedy, aerodynamic appearance.

Desire erupted in the pit of Renee's stomach. "I want that…" she said quietly.

Really, that was an understatement. She _needed_ it. She felt so overwhelmed with longing that she was surprised she was able to keep herself from being sick on the spot. It was so beautiful that it seemed to radiate light. Everything else in life seemed unimportant in comparison.

Elissa was transfixed. "It's a Firebolt…"

They stood there for a while, gazing at the majesty and wishing with all their might that they could have it.

"We need to get going," said Renee regretfully, tearing her eyes away from the Firebolt.

Elissa only shook her head and started to walk down the street.

As they neared Gringotts, Elissa regained her positive nature. "I got in trouble earlier for doing magic," she explained.

"Really? I once got in trouble for riding on the broom when I wasn't supposed to be."

"Oh, did your parents ever try to give you one of those cheesy toy brooms?" asked Elissa. "Those are horrible!"

"Yeah, it was boring. It had all kinds of safety features. It hardly got three feet off the ground!"

Elissa laughed. "My parents thought it would make me so happy…but really I only used it so I could learn the basics of how to fly. It accidentally broke when I turned five. I recently ended up taking my dad's broom repair kit and fixing up the old Cleansweep in the shed."

"Lucky! My mom used to have an old Comet, but I don't know where it is now..."

They were silent as the wizard bank came into view, and then Renee exclaimed, "There he is!"

Beetle-black eyes looked out from behind mounds of hair. He waved hands the size of backpacks as Renee and Elissa approached, and he was twice the height of a normal man.

"Hagrid!" said Elissa happily. "I haven't seen him in years!"

"Rene!" called Hagrid. "How nice ter see yeh! And Elissa!" He wrapped them both in a crushing hug. "I haven't seen yeh since you was a tiny little thing!"

"It's great to see you," said Renee happily.

"I've got yer money right here," said Hagrid, handing a leather pouch to Rene. "I reckon yeh still need to get yer school supplies?"

"Yes," said Renee. "Do you mind if Elissa comes along?"

"Not at all!" said Hagrid, grinning. "The more the merrier."

"Oh no!" said Elissa, looking at her watch. "I told my parents I would be at Ollivander's in three minutes!"

"That's okay," said Renee cheerfully. "We can go there first."

Excitement welled up inside Renee. She was going to get her very own wand!


	4. Wands and Waiting

Elissa looked deep into the gloom of Ollivander's. Her parents were waiting on the other side of the door and were talking to Mr. Ollivander.

"Yes, I remember your first wand. Oak, eleven inches, phoenix feather... very flexible." He turned to her mother. "And yours, ten-and-a-half inch unicorn hair, maple, hard and steady."

Hagrid cleared his throat loudly, and Mr. Ollivander glanced at them. "Ah, first years at Hogwarts, I presume. I'll be right back." He disappeared into the many shelves and returned a minute later laden with an armload of boxes. "We'll have you go first, then," he said, indicating Renee. "Nine-and-three-quarters inches, cedar, unicorn hair. This one's particularly firm. Have a go."

Renee took the wand, and green sparks immediately burst from the end. She smiled broadly.

"Ah, very rarely do we have the right wand on the first try. Very good..."

Mr. Ollivander shoved wand after wand into Elissa's hand, but none felt quite right. Her fingers seemed to close clumsily around them all, and none had the same familiarity as her father's old wand. Until...

"Ten inches, phoenix feather-redwood. Very swishy..."

Elissa took the wand and a loud BANG erupted from it. Confetti rained down on them all. She laughed. "I like this one very much."

"And it likes you," said Mr. Ollivander with an eerie smile.

They left Ollivander's with grins plastered to their faces. Rene and Elissa couldn't put down their wands. Meanwhile, Hagrid and Elissa's dad were reminiscing about Hogwarts "golden" days.

"My favorite class was always Astronomy," said her father distractedly.

"I always liked Care for Magical Creatures, of course."

Laughing and admiring their prized wands, Renee and Elissa stumbled into the pet shop.

Eyes glittered from every shelf. Renee went to admire the cats while Elissa moved instinctively to the owls.

Handsome tawny owls to regal gray ones lined up along the shelf. Her eyes lingered on a reddish Screech owl.

Elissa smiled at the little owl and took its cage off the shelf. The owl hooted softly.

Renee reappeared with a small, gray cat in her arms. "Isn't she beautiful?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Elissa, happily gazing down at her owl.

They purchased their new pets, and the rest of the day zoomed by in a flash. Finally, around dusk, they reentered the Leaky Cauldron.

"Bye!" called Elissa as Renee and Hagrid entered Muggle London. "I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express!"

As Elissa spun into her own fireplace, she rushed upstairs and collapsed onto her bed. She couldn't wait to tell Mac about her day at Diagon Alley.

The next morning, sunlight streaming through her bedroom window, Elissa arose with a smile plastered to her face. She glanced in the mirror and decided that blue eyes didn't fit her. She concentrated very hard, and green began to seep into them until they appeared to be like emeralds.

She threw on her Roderick Plumpton shirt and was just about to go through her secret passage when someone knocked on her door.

"Hello?" she called.

"It's me," answered her dad. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go for a short fly with me."

Elissa beamed and threw open the door. "I'd love to!"

She snatched her new wand off of her bedside table and followed her father out to the shed. He took the family Nimbus 2000 and handed her the old Cleansweep.

"I'll get a ball that we can toss," he said. "_Accio Quaffle!_"

A red, soccer-sized ball zoomed from the depths of the shed and into her father's arms. The mounted their brooms and kicked off, flying into the pasture in front of the house.

"Race you!" cried Elissa, shooting past her father. He was soon taking the lead again, but considering she had a much older broom, she did very well.

Her dad tossed her the Quaffle. She zoomed forward and caught it in mid-twirl.

"Nice one," he called. "Throw it back!"

Elissa lobbed the ball toward her dad, but her aim was off. He had to do a fancy dive to catch it. "Sorry!" she called embarrassedly.

"That's all right," replied her dad. "Just don't ever play Chaser!"

Elissa laughed. "I don't want to! I want to be a Seeker!"

Her father grinned. "Just like your mom... I'm sure your house team will be lucky to have you."

When they were finally finished, they returned back to the house laughing. Elissa's mother took one look at their windswept hair and pursed her lips disdainfully. Elissa avoided her gaze and dashed up to her room.

The first of September could not come fast enough.


	5. Arriving at Hogwarts

Mac walked through the barrier to Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, a huge smile etched onto his face. _There was the scarlet steam engine_...

But before he could look at it properly, he was blinded by a mound of brown hair as someone tackled him rugby-style.

"'Lissa!" he gasped. "Don't do that!"

She laughed. Her eyes were green today.

"Sorry, but I've been waiting for you for ten minutes now! I've already reserved an empty compartment." She snatched his hand and led him off into the crowd. "And there's someone I want you to meet."

She had stopped in front of a girl with dark brown hair and eyes. She seemed to be sizing him up a bit, but she smiled nonetheless. "I'm Renee Sandier," she said. "I met Liss in Diagon Alley."

"Any friend of Elissa's is a friend of mine," he said, taking her hand. "I'm Mac Dugald. Pleased to meet you."

The trio said good-bye to their parents (Renee only had her father with her) and boarded the Hogwarts Express. They found Elissa's compartment and stowed their trunks. Rene released her cat, Bonnie. They then took to waving to their parents out the window until the train started and turned a corner.

Sitting back down, they began to chat animatedly. There was a timid knock on the cabin door.

"Can I come in?" asked a boy, peeking into the cabin. "There's no where else."

"Yeah, sure!" said Liss warmly.

He entered and sat next to Mac, smiling shyly. "I'm Reid," he said, brushing his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes.

"I'm Mac, and this is Elissa and Renee."

The two girls smiled at him.

There was silence as the train rattled onward. Gray clouds blotted out the sky and the sun, and rain drops began to trickle down the window.

After the sweets trolley came, Mac finally broke the ice.

"Why don't we take a stroll down the corridor and meet some of the other first years? You never know who will be in the same house as you."

He stood up, but the compartment door opened before he reached for the knob. In stepped a handsome third year with dark hair and blue eyes. "Hi," he said. "I'm Robert. Someone told me there were some first years in here, and I thought I'd make you feel welcome."

He beamed around at the group.

"I'm Elissa."

"Renee at your service."

"My name's Reid."

"Mac Dugald."

Robert smiled at each of them in turn. "I hope to see you in my house, Ravenclaw," he said. "Current holders of the Quidditch Cup." With one last grin, he exited compartment.

Mac fell back into his seat. "Braggart," he muttered darkly.

"Shut up," said Elissa, throwing a box of Every-Flavored Beans at him. "He was only trying to be friendly." Her eyes darkened to brown.

"Hey! Are you a Metamorphmagus?" asked Reid. "Your eyes..."

"Yeah," answered Elissa. Her eyes went back to green. "Cool, huh? Never had a single haircut."

For a while, Renee and Reid watched Liss change herself. Mac had seen it so many times before that he lost interest and gazed out the window blankly. The sky was darkening... They would arrive soon.

Finally, the train moved to a stop outside of Hogsmeade Station, and they stepped into the humid night.

The clouds were clearing overhead, the stars gleaming down. Mac stared up at them. He would have his first Astronomy lesson Wednesday night...

Elissa walked up beside him. "We're finally here!" she breathed.

"Firs' years this way!"

They turned and saw Hagrid silhouetted against the sky. Together they moved toward him. Mac could barely contain his excitement. He was about to be sorted!

Mac and Elissa piled into a boat with Reid and Renee. There was a sudden jerk, and Mac felt Elissa snatch his hand. She quickly dropped it, looking embarrassedly at him, and he laughed.

The boat moved magically across the lake, the cliffs and Hogwarts castle looming ahead. Mac thought for a moment that he saw a giant tentacle raise out of the water and then disappear out of sight.

The night was silent, all of the first years too awed to speak.

The boats reached the far shore and they got out: Professor Flitwick was waiting for them.

"Follow me!" he squeaked, and led them up into the castle. They stopped in a small chamber. "I will come retrieve you when we're ready."

The first years murmured quietly amongst themselves. An air of nervousness descended on them all.

Mac was looking excitedly around. Elissa and Renee were whispering to each other, occasionally giggling. He felt slightly hurt (he and Elissa had been best friends forever), but he didn't let it show.

Flitwick came back and led them into the Great Hall. Sitting on a stool in front of the students was the Sorting Hat, patched and frayed. Mac felt Reid stiffen beside him.

Mac was too nervous to hear what the Sorting Hat was singing. He was only aware of its rhyme echoing throughout the Great Hall...

Flitwick called the first student (Adder, Sam) to the stool. The timid blond boy sat down, pulled the Hat onto his head, and it called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!" almost immediately.

The tiny professor read off of the list of names until they got into the B names, still with no Gryffindors.

"Bradshaw, Elissa."

Elissa, looking as though she might throw up, began to walk to the stool, her hands shaking slightly. Mac grinned at her as she passed him, and she smiled weakly back at him. He knew which house she would be in...

-

Elissa, thinking that she had never been so fearful, sat on the stool and slipped the Sorting Hat over her head. It fell over her eyes and blocked her view of the four long tables.

"_Feeling a bit antsy?_" asked a small voice in her ear.

_Yeah_, she thought.

"_I think you already know where you should be, as does one of your friends. What do you say?_"

Elissa tried to understand what the Hat was saying. She knew where she was supposed to be? That was impossible. She had absolutely no clue which house she ought to be in. The Sorting Hat couldn't expect her to...

_She was back in the forest, the Dementor drifting toward her and Mac. They were going to die, die, die. It was over, soon nothing would matter, she should give in now to the cold and fear._

_Black dots erupted before her eyes, and she wanted only to fall and give in to weariness. Mac was already down, she would follow..._

_But the light blasted from the end of her wand, driving the Dementor back for a moment, and they were escaping..._

_"That was the bravest thing anyone has ever done for me..."_

Elissa was back on the stool with the Sorting Hat over her eyes.

_Yes, I know where I have to be_.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

_Thank you_, thought Elissa as she took off the Sorting Hat. She beamed; the Gryffindor table was roaring their approval. She hopped off the stool and pranced to them, taking a seat by a friendly-looking fifth year.

Elissa glanced over at the Ravenclaw table and saw Robert smiling sadly at her. Her stomach dropped slightly as she smiled back, looking into his deep blue eyes...

-

"Byers, Matthew" and "Cot, Katie" also became Gryffindors, and Mac could just see them sit down by Elissa. And then, "Dugald, Mac" was called, and he moved up to the stool. The hat was much too big for him, but he wore it with pride.

"_Hm... You seem to have your mind made up..._"

Mac couldn't help smiling a little. _Please be Gryffindor, please be Gryffindor._

"_You seem very persistent. You would also do well in Hufflepuff... or even Slytherin..."_

_No. Not Slytherin. Please._ His smile faltered.

"_Why not? Slytherin has produced as many great witches and wizards as the others... Ah... Wait... I see. Then have it your way._"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Even over the din of shouts from the Gryffindors, Mac could hear Elissa shouting the loudest, and he grinned at her. He walked over happily and sat on her right side.

"We're together!" she whispered as the applause died down.

"Yeah!" He whispered back. Everything was turning out the way he had hoped...

-

Reid could feel his heart beating in his chest like a trapped bird. He just wanted to get the Sorting over with and hope that whichever house he was in, it would have someone friendly.

"Lloyd, Reid."

He walked to the stool and slipped the hat over his head. It had barely touched his head when—

"GRYFFINDOR!"

He felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders, and he walked to where Mac and Elissa already sat. He took a seat across the table from them.

"Congratulations!" they said in unison.

"Thanks! You, too!"

The threesome beamed at each other. There was only Renee left...

-

Renee was hardly listening as the horde of first years became smaller and smaller. All she knew is that she wanted to get it over with.

"Sandier, Renee."

She sat on the bench, the Sorting Hat covering her eyes.

"_You have talent, both logical and practical... You would do well in Ravenclaw. You certainly have the brains..._"

Renee gripped the edges of her seat tightly. She wanted to be in Gryffindor with Liss and Mac and Reid... She didn't know anyone in the other houses, and she was sure that she would have to work extra hard to make new friends... Of course, Robert was in Ravenclaw, and he had been nice enough...

"_Yes... Ravenclaw would suffice_."

She felt her heart stop. She knew that was not where she wanted to be. "Please put me in Gryffindor," she whispered, scarcely moving her lips. "Please."

"_Another Gryffindor, you say? Well... alright._"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

YES. The only thing that mattered was that she was with her new friends.


	6. Tryouts

Mac glanced at Elissa nervously as they walked down the grounds to the Quidditch pitch. She stared at the ground, and he knew she was feeling just as apprehensive as he was.

They reached the locker room and walked straight through out to the field. A horde of Gryffindors were already assembled on the lawn, each holding a broomstick and definitely hoping for the same thing: a place on the Quidditch team. Mac looked down at his borrowed Shooting Star with dismay. It looked even more worn than his own at home. How would he ever match up to the other players on this?

Elissa's broom looked ten times worse. Twigs stuck out at odd angles on the tail, and the body was chipped and splintering in places. She didn't seem to care.

"Everyone line up!" called Mike Stunts, a brawny sixth year and captain of the team. He played Beater. "I want you all to do one lap around the pitch so I can see your flying technique."

Mac finally made eye-contact with Elissa and they took off at the same time. They were the only first years that had bothered to show up.

Leaning low on his broom, Mac put on a burst of speed. The Shooting Star wobbled slightly as he tried to go faster, and he noticed that Elissa's, though shabbier, was outstripping his by a long-shot.

As they finished their lap, the Quidditch-team-hopefuls landed in front of Mike.

The captain surveyed them all and asked a few people to leave. He glanced several times at Elissa and Mac, clearly surprised that they hadn't fallen off their brooms two feet in the air, but didn't seem to have any complaint.

"Okay, now for the individual try-outs. Beaters over here, Keepers here..."

Mac looked one last time at Elissa and went to join the Chaser line. She, meanwhile, got behind the other Seekers.

The Keepers and Chasers tried out first. Mac waited for his turn, and the Quaffle was finally chucked toward him. He did a kind of spin-dive and caught it, zigzagging towards the Keeper. With a heave, he aimed for one of the hoops, but it was intercepted by the Keeper, a tall and dark-haired girl. He groaned.

"Nice one!" called the girl, and Mac forced a smile.

"Thanks. That was a good save."

Mike ordered them all to land once everyone had had a chance to shoot or save, and Mac was one of the few who was asked to stay for the next round. He smiled.

He barely noticed the Beater try-outs, and then the Seekers had their chance. They all rushed into the air, chasing after five different Snitches that had been released. Elissa caught one, along with three other guys and a fourth-year girl. Mac cheered loudly.

Round two of the Chaser try-outs began. Mac kicked off the ground hard, soaring high into the air with the other four Gryffindors. His heart beat like a trapped bird against his rib cage.

Mary, a fifth year, threw a well-aimed pass at Mac, and he caught it swiftly. A Bludger bolted at him, and he rolled while passing to Simon, a lanky sixth year. He heard several impressed gasps from below and knew he had earned himself a good reputation already.

Mac got the ball back right in front of the goal posts. He knew this was his chance to show what talent he had, and he panted with excitement. One of the Keepers that was trying out glared at him as he approached. He looked haughtily back, pretending to aim for one of the end posts. The Keeper zoomed forward to intercept, but Mac quickly changed direction and tossed it to the hoop at the opposite end. He could faintly hear a few spectators cheering in the stands and grinned.

"That was great!" called Simon, but the Keeper didn't look too happy. Mac ignored him.

The other four Gryffindors got equally good shots, and finally Mike called them all to the ground. The captain examined them all with interest.

"I wish I could keep all of you here," he said. "But there are only three Chasers on each team, so... I've decided that Simon, Mary, and Mac will stay."

Mac couldn't help giving a yelp of joy, and the other two beamed widely. One of the other Gryffindors didn't look nearly as thrilled.

"But he's a _first year_!" he called indignantly. "You can't choose him! He doesn't even have his own broom!"

"There's no rule against first years playing on the team," said Mike quietly. His tone left no room for argument. "And I'm sure we'll be able to work something out about the broomstick situation with McGonagall."

The boy (Mac assumed he was a fourth year) spluttered in defense, but finally closed his mouth.

"Fine," he said forcefully. "If that's the case, I don't even want to play on this team. It'll spare me a huge amount of humiliation." He turned and stormed off the pitch.

The Keeper that hadn't managed to block Mac's shot spoke up. "I agree with Rogers," he said. "I won't be seen on the same team as an unexperienced _toddler_." He turned and followed after Rogers.

Mac bristled, glaring after the shrinking body.

"If anyone else has a problem with my choice of players," said Mike loudly, "they can leave now."

Silence met his words, and no one moved. Mac couldn't help smiling triumphantly. He would show Rogers and his friend at the first Quidditch match...

"Keeper will be Wendy Williams," said Mike after a moment, and the girl that had saved Mac's shot in the first round smiled.

The Beaters' performances were quite spectacular. One of the girls trying out hit a Bludger at another of the Gryffindors, and he nearly fell off his broom trying to dodge it. Apparently he had forgotten that he was supposed to hit them back.

Another Beater (a pretty but fierce-looking fifth year girl) did an excellent Bludger Backbeat, missing one of the players by millimeters.

Mike chose the Backbeat Girl to be the other Beater.

It was finally the Seekers' chance, and Mac gripped the edge of his seat anxiously as they took off.

Elissa was flying just as well as the others. They separated, looking in different directions for the Snitch. She was going very fast until...

"She's seen it!" shouted Mac, grinning.

Elissa was speeding toward the ground, flying like a bullet toward the grass. The other Seekers were close on her tail, although they didn't seem to see it; they were only following her because they thought she would lead them to glory. But Elissa wasn't stopping. She dove lower and lower, never glancing over her shoulder, until—

CRASH.

Elissa pulled out of the dive unharmed, but one of the Seekers tumbled onto the pitch, their broom snapped cleanly in two. While the others hesitated, Elissa flew into the sky, reaching, reaching, and finally closing her fist around the small golden ball.

"Brilliant!" cried Simon enthusiastically. "That was a perfectly executed Wronski Feint! Positively thrilling! Superbly achieved! Adroitly enforced—"

"Simon!" laughed Mary. "We get the point!"

Simon flushed, still smiling.

As the Seekers landed (Madam Hooch helped the one who had crashed), Mike looked every bit as excited as Simon.

"Wonderful!" he said, patting Elissa heartily on the back. "Welcome to the team, Miss Bradshaw!"

Elissa was laughing and grinning and skipping, and suddenly she was tackling Mac, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"We did it! We made it! We're on the team!"

Mac was delighted. He felt as if nothing else mattered, that Quidditch was his life.

The sun set in a blaze of colors as the Gryffindors from the Quidditch pitch marched back to the school. Mac never wanted this moment to end, never wanted to stop listening to the new team brag about the try-outs, but he knew that it would soon be over. He could only cling to the present and wait excitedly to announce his accomplishment to the other boys in his dormitory...


	7. Defense Against the Dark Arts

Reid walked with Elissa behind the horde of first years making their way toward their first practical Defense Against the Dark Arts class. He could feel the tension mounting as they waited outside the classroom and could barely contain his own enthusiasm. He knew that the other students were just as excited as he was to learn how to Disarm, and he had to admit that they were being very well behaved considering the circumstances.

Elissa was practically shaking with joy beside him. "Oh my goodness!" she gasped quietly to him. "I'm so excited! I've been waiting for this forever! We're finally going to be dueling!"

Reid chuckled amusedly.

Mac, who was gripping his wand so hard that his knuckles were turning white, was bouncing up and down slightly on Reid's opposite side. He was whispering incantations nervously under his breath, and Reid knew that he would be very good at this.

Finally, Professor Smithfield opened the door and the mixed Gryffindors and Ravenclaws crowded into the room.

Smithfield had been a highly respected member of the Wizengamot in his prime. He was tall and powerful-looking though quite old.

"I need you to separate into pairs quickly so we can begin as soon as possible," said the professor calmly, and there was instant motion.

Mac and Travis Daniels charged off into one corner, and Matthew Byers teamed up with Greg Thompson. Reid was left looking around desperately for a partner. He turned and found himself face-to-face with Elissa.

"Do you want to pair up?" she asked, sweeping her blond hair behind her ears.

"Sure," he replied with a smile.

Smithfield waited for the noise and movement to die down and said, "The incantation I want you to use for now is '_Expelliarmus_.' Your opponent's wand should fly out of their hand and fall out of reach. It may take a few practices, but I want you to try and and least make your partner drop their wand."

He finished, and shouts of "_Expelliarmus!_" echoed throughout the room.

Reid looked at Elissa with a smile. "You can go first."

Elissa readied herself, holding her wand out at arm's length. "_Expelliarmus!_" she cried, and Reid's wand was tugged out of his hand by an unseen force. It dropped to his feet.

"Nice one!" he said, bending down to pick it up.

They managed to Disarm each other several more times before Smithfield stopped them all.

"I want you to use the rest of class to duel freely with your partner. You can switch pairs or team up and duel two-on-two, but the winner in any duel is the first to Disarm their enemy. Is that clear?"

There were excited murmurs of understanding and the class was off again. Reid looked at Elissa with a sly smile. "You're going down."

She rolled her eyes impatiently. "Whatever."

Renee and Katie Cot walked over. "Do you want to do team dueling?"

Reid glanced at Elissa again and said, "Sure."

Katie walked over and stood at his side while Renee and Elissa got into defensive stances. Reid felt his heart jump with excitement at the thought of his first ever real duel.

"_Rictusempra!_" shouted Katie, and her spell hit Elissa squarely in the chest. She fell to the floor in a fit of giggles, and Reid took the opportunity that was offered.

"_Expelliarmus!_"

His charm soared over Elissa and hit Mac in the back. His wand went flying through the air, and he looked at Reid angrily. "You'll pay for that one!"

"Sorr—umph!"

Renee hit Reid with a Full-body Bind, and he keeled over, as stiff as a board. Katie didn't give him a second glance; she was busy dodging and shooting spells.

The Tickling Charm was wearing off of Elissa, and she struggled to her feet. She was just going to Disarm Reid when Katie hit her with a Leg-Locker, and she was back on the floor.

The Full-Body Bind had been a weak spell, and Reid was able to move just enough to raise his wand. Barely moving his lips, he said "_Expell—_"

"_LUMOS!_"

Reid and Katie were blinded by dazzling light, and he just heard Renee shout, "_Expelliarmus!_" His wand flew out of his hand and hit the back wall; Katie's fell just barely out of reach.

The light died down, and Smithfield walked over to their group.

"Interesting choice, Miss Bradshaw," he said thoughtfully. "I've never seen that spell used in battle before, and it seems that you've practiced it before. Very creative. Five points to Gryffindor."

Elissa smiled superiorly at Reid. "Who's going down _now_?" She laughed.

"Lucky break," said Katie with a lopsided grin. She offered Reid her hand and he struggled groggily to his feet. "How about another round?"

"Only if you're ready to lose again, right Elissa?" retorted Renee.

"Of course," replied Elissa, smiling evilly.

Reid brushed himself off and faced Renee and Elissa. He felt Katie stiffen beside him.

"_Locomotor mortis!_" she said. Renee's legs snapped together and she fell to the floor.

Elissa flicked her wand. "_Lu—_!"

"_Expelliarmus!_" yelled Reid, and Elissa's wand was thrown from her hand. "That trick isn't going to work again!"

Elissa, now wand-less, could only sulk as Katie Disarmed Renee, and it was over. Reid bowed mockingly in their direction.

"Terribly sorry, your majesties, but it seems that you've lost."

Elissa snorted contemptuously. "Yeah, whatever..._your majesty_... Pft!" She rolled her eyes dramatically to the ceiling and, hands on hips, added, "Besides, I let you Disarm me."

Katie chuckled. "Yeah, and I'm a vampire."

"Oh, you are?" asked Renee with fake sympathy. "You poor, poor thing. And I suppose Reid's a werewolf?"

Reid flinched.

Truth be told, he _was_ a werewolf, but he wasn't about to let his secret slip.

----

**A/N: I just wanted to take a moment to thank those who have reviewed. It means a lot and I really appreciate the feed-back. For those of you don't review... well, I might just have to set Reid on you :)**


	8. Quidditch

The season had changed. The air was cooler, the green drained from the lawns. With the change of weather, Mac knew that there would be other changes, too, and he grinned as he opened his eyes one Saturday morning.

The other boys in his room (Reid, Matthew, Travis, and Greg) were still asleep. Someone was snoring quietly, but he didn't care enough to find out who.

He walked down the common room and found Elissa, Mary, and Simon waiting for him. Mary's eyes had faint circles under them, and Simon was yawning widely. Elissa, meanwhile, was beaming excitedly, all traces of sleepiness gone from her jubilant face.

"This is the day!" she whispered. "_Quidditch!_"

Mac smiled, but it was more like a grimace.

The group ambled our the portrait hole and made their way to the Great Hall where the rest of the team was already seated. They were all bleary-eyed and rumpled, but there was a stiffness in the way they ate their toast that wasn't usually there.

Mac barely managed to choke down his orange juice before Mike said, "Well, we should head out."

The team got slowly to their feet and exited the castle. Outside, Reid and Renee waited to see them off.

"Good luck," said Reid.

"Go Gryffindor!" piped Renee as she stifled a yawn.

The gesture of friendship meant more to Mac than he could express. Elissa walked over and hugged them each in turn.

The Gryffindor team marched through the locker rooms. No one spoke as they all changed into their Quidditch robes. There was just beginning to be a dull roar from the stands when Mike walked over to Elissa and Mac. He handed them each a broom.

"Wait," said Mac, staring wide-eyed at the broom. "It's—it's my..."

"My Cleansweep!" exclaimed Elissa, clutching her broom. "How did you—?"

"McGonagall," answered Mike shortly. "We decided to send owls to your families asking to send you your brooms. She said it would be okay since you are on the team." He winked. "And you know how she loves Quidditch."

Mac's spirits lightened considerably as they marched on to the pitch with him holding his old Shooting Star. It was much better than the school's brooms, and it felt very familiar in his hands.

There was a roar as the Gryffindor team walked onto the pitch. Mac didn't doubt that most of the school had showed up for the match, and he wondered if Rogers and the other boy who had challenged him in try-outs were in the stands; he hoped they were so he could prove them wrong.

Ravenclaw was already standing around Madam Hooch. Mac noticed that Robert was the team's Seeker.

The players lined up, and the whistle was blown. Mac soared into the air with his teammates. His stomach did flips.

Ravenclaw Chaser Tom Green aimed a bad pass, and Mary intercepted. She threw it to Mac, and he caught it with a brilliant spin. One of the Bludgers pelted toward him, and he did a quick dive. Just as he pulled out of it, he managed to pass to Simon. Mike flew past him, chasing the Bludger, and shouted, "Good one!"

Simon passed back to Mary, and she managed to toss it through the hoop. There was a burst of noise from all of the Gryffindors, and Mac grinned.

"Gryffindor scores," said Gerald Grim, the Slytherin that was commentating. He sounded distinctly unenthusiastic.

Ravenclaw had possession, and Mac chased the player down the field. Mike finally managed to hit a well-aimed Bludger at him, and Mary caught the Quaffle. She passed to Simon, and then to Mac. He flew forward and scored.

Elissa soared by, yelling, "Good job!" Mac smiled back at her.

-

With Gryffindor leading 20-0 and the Snitch nowhere in sight, Elissa could only fly around the pitch and try to ignore the jeering Slytherins and Ravenclaws. The pressure was like a dark storm cloud overhead, but she brushed it off with ease.

Robert flew up to her. "You're a good flier," he said, grinning.

She felt her face grow hot, her stomach fluttering uncomfortably. "Thanks. So are you."

His blue eyes were twinkling, and she could have looked into them forever, floating high above the ground with him so close to her it was like they were the same person...

"OI! Get in the game!" shouted Mike as he charged toward the Ravenclaw goalposts.

Elissa went scarlet as Robert cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Sorry," he muttered, and flew off.

She didn't like the feeling of resent for Mike that settled in her stomach. She dearly wished that one of the Bludgers would give him a good bump on the head, and she hoped that the affection she felt for Robert wasn't _too_ obvious... She really liked him a lot...

But he was a third year Quidditch star! What would he see in Elissa, an inexperienced first year? Lots of girls would do anything to look as deeply into his eyes as she had.

She wanted to just curl up in her bed and brood, but she knew that the team needed her on the pitch. She flew impatiently around as Ravenclaw pulled ahead by ten points. Confused feelings welled up inside her, and the looks that Robert kept shooting her didn't help. She wished he would just leave her alone.

_Oh, no_, thought Elissa as he came quickly toward her. _Not again_.

But he wasn't slowing down...

He flew right past her...

"CRAP!" she shouted as she realized what he was doing. She turned the broom and zoomed after him, ignoring the fact that half of the other players had paused to watch the two Seekers chase the evasive Golden Snitch. The wind whipped Elissa's hair as she drew nearer, neck-and-neck...

They dove, both battling to reach the small ball. Elissa wanted to savor the feeling of their hands touching, but she knew she couldn't pause in her pursuit.

The ground was coming nearer, but the Snitch wasn't changing direction. It glinted in the morning light as it flew toward the grass, and Robert finally pulled out of his dive. Elissa glanced over her shoulder, and when she looked back, the Snitch was gone. She stopped her broomstick, looking around wildly. There were disappointed murmurs coming from the Gryffindors.

"And the crowd is disappointed as the two Seekers lose sight of the Snitch. Oh—looks like Ravenclaw Chaser Darlington has been hit by a Bludger..."

Robert smiled ruefully. "So close."

Elissa ignored him completely and flew towards the Gryffindor Keeper. Quidditch was hard enough without Robert's blue eyes following her everywhere.

-

Renee cheered loudly as Gryffindor scored again, tying up the game.

"And that's Dugald with another lucky shot. Honestly, I don't know why Stunts chose to have two first years on his team, one's bad enough—"

Grim was cut off by angry shouts from Gryffindors, Renee included.

"That jerk!" said Katie as the clamor died down. "Mac and Elissa are some of the best on the field. He's just jealous that Slytherin doesn't have that kind of talent."

Renee nodded her agreement.

"Hey!" said Reid suddenly. "Elissa's seen something!"

Gasps could be heard around the stadium as Elissa rocketed skyward, Robert closing in on her heels.

-

Elissa focused only on the Snitch, tuning out the cheering crowd. She was acutely aware of Robert beside her, but he didn't matter. Her life depended on that golden ball, and she wasn't going to let it get away again. She drew nearer to it, flying into a sharp dive. Her hand was inching forward, very close to those fluttering wings, and then...

Cold metal met her fingers, and she closed her fist around the Snitch.

"YES!"

Tears of joy sprang to her eyes, and she crashed onto the ground, laying sprawled on the grass. The Snitch struggled in her hand as she leaped to her feet, just snatching up her Cleansweep. The rest of the team was landing around her, a roaring mass of Gryffindors jumping and hollering on the field. Elissa could hear the rest of her house cheering in the stands, their yells echoing loudly throughout the pitch.

"WE WON!" shouted Simon. "WE W—" He was silenced as Mary tackled him, and they were suddenly snogging in the middle of all the commotion. Elissa laughed heartily, happy for them both.

Renee, Katie, Reid, and Travis appeared suddenly by Elissa's side, followed shortly by Mac. They were all celebrating, jumping, and laughing, and Mike finally bounded over.

"Party in the common room!" he said, grinning. "Come on!"

They practically floated to the school, and in no time they were through the portrait hole, mingling with the other students, making such a raucous that Professor Longbottom, head of Gryffindor, had to come calm them down; he ended up joining in the celebration when his attempts failed spectacularly.

After an hour of loud noise, Elissa finally grew tired of being pressed up against all the people and silently slipped out of the common room. She wandered aimlessly through the deserted corridors, thinking longingly of Robert and what he was doing at that very moment...

"Ickle Firstie walking through the hallways!" sneered a painfully familiar voice.

"Go away, Peeves," said Elissa, not looking up.

"Oh, no? Is our big Quidditch star a wittle gwumpy?" said Peeves in a mock-baby voice.

Elissa rolled her eyes and continued strolling through the passage. She turned a corner and found herself facing Simon and Mary, who seemed to be immersed in a deep snogging-session.

"Oh—sorry," she said quickly, feeling her face coloring.

They couple broke apart, both smiling embarrassedly.

"That's okay," replied Mary kindly. "We were just, er, finishing up."

There was a brief awkward silence, and Simon said, "Nice capture today! It was pretty fantastic."

Elissa smiled, and then cleared her throat loudly. "I'll, erm, just be going now..."

She spun around and nearly ran into Professor Slughorn, who was just coming their way.

"Ah! The star of the hour!" he said pompously. "I needed to find to you."

Elissa glanced over her shoulder, hoping that Mary and Simon would come to her rescue, but they were already walking hand-in-hand in the opposite direction. "Alright," she said nervously.

"I wanted to ask you and Mr. Dugald if you would be interested in joining the Slug Club," continued Slughorn. Elissa wanted to protest, but she knew it would be no good. The old professor would have them join his collection soon enough anyway.

"We would be honored," she lied, shuffling her feet. "But why...?"

"The two youngest Quidditch players on the pitch!" he huffed with a grin. "You two might only be first years, but you have great potential! Now, I'm hosting a Halloween party on the night of the twenty-seventh for all fo the club members. Pass the word on to Mac, if you will."

With that, Slughorn patted Elissa on the back and continued down the hallway after Mary and Simon, and Elissa looked after his portly silhouette.

"Oh boy," she muttered to herself, waving jazz-hands sarcastically, and she continued on her stroll through the corridors.


	9. Love in the Air

It was Potions, Renee's least favorite class. She sat at a table with Katie and Elissa, scowling to herself as Professor Slughorn gave them instructions to create a boil-curing potion.

Katie was dropping things in her cauldron and stirring as if she'd been doing it her whole life, and Elissa was getting along just fine, too. Renee looked jealously at them as she struggled to do the steps in the correct order. It was very difficult for her to remember all of the different ingredients and when to add them in, even with the instructions listed at the front of the room.

_This is the dumbest thing_, she thought bitterly. Her potion was refusing to turn to the same color as Katie's concoction.

After what seemed like hours of endless torture, Slughorn finally ended the class by bragging on Katie's perfect boil-cure potion. The class gathered their things and began to head to lunch, but Katie was asked to stay behind.

Renee looked questioningly back in the room, but continued to walk through the dungeons with Elissa and Mac. Katie caught up with them as they entered the Great Hall.

"I'm going to join the Slug Club!" she said gleefully.

"Congrats," muttered Mac with a look of contempt. "We can all be part of Slughorn's showcase together."

"I'm not in it," said Renee under her breath. She couldn't help feeling resentful even though Mac and Elissa said that it was a dumb organization that only Sluggy's most prized pets were in.

"Don't worry," said Katie as they sat at the Gryffindor bench. "Professor Slughorn said that we could take a guest to the Halloween party, and I'd be happy to take you."

Renee brightened considerably as she loaded ravioli onto her plate. "Thanks. That would be fun."

"What!" said Elissa suddenly. "He didn't tell me we were allowed a guest! What the crap?"

Katie smiled politely. "Sorry, but that's what I heard."

Halfway through lunch, Elissa was distracted as Robert walked just past their table on his way out of the Great Hall. Her gaze followed him with every step, and Renee couldn't help snorting into her pumpkin juice. Elissa glared at her.

"What?"

"You've got it bad," said Renee.

"I—I would never—nothing of the sort!"

Renee rolled her eyes.

Lunch was over, and the Gryffindor first years ambled out to Herbology. Katie was telling Renee what went wrong with her potion, but she seemed oddly distracted.

"What are you looking at?" asked Renee as she finally got tired of Katie looking over her shoulder. She turned around and saw Reid walking a few meters back with Mac and Travis. "Oh, no."

"What?" asked Katie as the color rose in her face.

"Not you, too!"

"What?! I don't know what you mean."

Renee sighed loudly. "Love is certainly in the air."

Katie sputtered indignantly for a moment, grumbling excuses, and finally managed to say, "Well, so what?"

"Which one of them is it?" Renee asked, dropping her voice so no one else could hear.

Katie blushed. "Reid."

Renee muffled a giggle. "Oh, you two would make such a cute couple."

Katie refused to meet her eyes until they had taken a table with the still silent Elissa and a Ravenclaw named Cordelia.

Throughout most of the lesson, Elissa chatted quietly with Cordelia, with whom she seemed to get on with very well. Katie was a bit distracted by Reid, and so Renee was left to sit resentfully and silently, keeping to herself with an obvious air of annoyance.

Why was she suddenly left out of everything?

Later in the common room, Renee was doing the essay Professor Slughorn had assigned the first years with Katie. After thirty minutes, Renee glanced around.

"Where's Elissa?" she asked.

Katie shrugged, not looking up from her parchment. Her quill was moving rapidly across it.

Renee shot a look of exasperation at her but said nothing. "Well, I'm going to the library. I need to look up a few things."

Katie said nothing, so Renee gathered her books and traipsed across the room to the portrait hole. She met no one in the halls on the journey to the library, and quickly found a table in an isolated corner on which to dump her stuff. With a loud and pointless sigh she walked toward the shelves.

"Boil cure potion...boil cure potion," she muttered to herself, her finger moving along the spines of the books. "Ah..."

She retrieved the heavy volume and was just turning to leave when hushed voices caught her attention.

"Hi, Reid."

Renee recognized Elissa's voice. _So this is where she's been..._

"Oh, hello."

Awkward pause.

"So... It was a fun potions class today, hm?"

"I guess. So you're in the Slug Club, right?"

"Tch," said Elissa, and Renee could just imagine her rolling her eyes. "Yes. Unfortunately. He caught me in the halls the night of the big Quidditch game. Blech."

Reid laughed. "That _was _a pretty fantastic game. I'm not surprised that he hunted you down."

"Yeah...only...for the Halloween party, we're supposed to bring a guest, but I didn't know that until today, and Katie and Renee are going, and Mac's already in the club, so I have no one to go with." Elissa was talking really fast. "So doyawannagowime?"

"What?"

Elissa laughed and said, more slowly, "Do you want to go with me? Just as friends, of course."

Reid laughed. "Elissa, I would love to go with you as a friend, but unfortunately I have to leave school that day. A family member passed away and I have to go to the funeral."

"Aw, I'm sorry, Reid. That sucks."

"It's okay. It was some weird one, like twenty-seventh cousin, thirty-two times removed..."

Elissa laughed. "Okay. But it's still hard."

"Yeah. Well, see you later, Elissa."

"Bye, Reid."

Renee heard footsteps, and then Elissa called out, "Reid?"

"Yeah?"

Elissa hesitated. "I really meant going only as friends, just so you know. Nothing more."

Renee could hear the smile in Reid's voice. "I know. Don't worry about it."

And that was the end of the conversation.

Renee was glad that Elissa like Reid only as a friend. Having a love-triangle this early in their Hogwarts career would have been a pain in the butt. And it's not like Elissa had been lying about the "friend" thing; she was too busy fawning over Robert the Ravenclaw to notice anyone else. But then again...

"Oh! There you are!" said Katie, walking around the shelf. "Sorry I wasn't paying much attention in the common room. I was a little distracted."

"That's okay."

Katie smiled and looked at Renee. "Everything all right?"

"Everything is _great_," corrected Renee, and they walked off together through the library.


	10. Celebrities and Stars

Slughorn's party was flashy and exhuberant, with music and happy Hogwarts students prancing about. Mac was with Travis, the blond-haired Gryffindor from his dormitory. Wherever they turned, they always found some kind of odd character that met his gaze. Hags, vampires, mutants of all sorts were present in Slughorn's office. Mac even thought he glimpsed the great Gwenog Jones.

"This is much cooler than I thought," said Elissa as she walked over with some punch. "I met Magnus Macdonald! _The_ Dent-Head Magnus Macdonald!"

"Who?" asked Cordelia the Ravenclaw, who was Elissa's guest.

"Dent-Head!" cried Elissa, clearly insulted at Cordelia's confusion. "The one that tried to revive the violent sport of Creaothceann in the 1960's!"

"Duh, Cordelia," said Mac sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "_Everyone_ knows Dent-Head Macdonald."

Cordelia looked even more confused, and Mac laughed with Elissa.

The party started to wind down around 10:00. Finally, Mac figured that it was time to go, and he and Travis followed Elissa, Cordelia, Renee, and Katie into the hall.

"That was great!" said Katie. "Elissa and I met Gwenog Jones! She was amazing in person...better than I could have imagined!"

"It was a little uneventful besides the famous people, though, don't you think?" asked Mac.

Renee nodded.

"Hey!" said Cordelia, her voice suddenly soft. "You want excitement? I know something that'll be just that..."

--

"So you know the plan, Travis?"

"Yes. I hide in the broom cupboard to make sure you all can get back into the castle."

"And you're sure you don't want to come with us?"

"No. I prefer to stay out of trouble."

"Okay," said Cordelia. "Whatever you want. Well, now we're off into the night!"

Mac was the first out of the oak front doors. He surveyed the empty front lawn. "It's all clear," he whispered back to the girls. "Everybody out." He crept onto the silent grass, hearing the muffled footsteps of the others behind him. The cool night air was delightfully crisp in comparison to Slughorn's stuffy office.

"Mac, there's a really nice hill over that way," whispered Elissa. "Come on, follow me."

The small group changed direction and treaded behind Elissa to the crest of a grassy slope. Mac breathed deeply, savoring the fresh scent of grass. Elissa plopped onto her back and stared into the night sky.

"Darn," she said. "It's a full moon. All the light pollution will make it hard to see some of the stars."

Mac joined her on the lightly damp grass and followed her gaze toward the moon.

"It's so beautiful, though," said Katie from Elissa's other side. "Just like a giant crystal orb hanging on night's star-spangled canvas."

"Katie, you're so poetic!" exclaimed Cordelia rather loudly.

"Shhh!" hissed Elissa.

"No one's gonna hear us," murmured Renee. "There's no one but us anywhere on the grounds, and probably no one out is Hogsmeade, either."

Mac felt Elissa stiffen beside him, but she kept control of her temper and didn't say anything. He smiled to himself at her patience.

They were silent as the stars twinkled overhead. Mac looked for constellations that he recognized from Astronomy, but it was certainly not his best subject.

As if reading his mind, Elissa pointed to a group of stars almost directly above them. "That's Orion...the hunter or something. I don't know much about it, but I'm sure my dad does."

"Is your dad an astronomer?" asked Cordelia.

"No, he just likes stargazing. Always has..."

They group was silent once again as the moonlight draped over them.

"Name some other constellations, Elissa," requested Mac.

"'Kay. Well, there's Taurus...and Pisces the fish...and you can kinda see part of Perseus over there, but there are some high clouds..." Her voice trailed off. "That's pretty much all I can recognize without a chart..."

Mac didn't mind too much that she stopped talking. The silence was nice, like an old friend back from a long vacation. Why couldn't the calm go on forever?

--

**A/N: I really appreciate reviews, and concrit is always nice. Any kind of feedback would be totally awesome... Oh, and thanks sophiecolette. You rule.**


	11. Reid's Secret

It wasn't until May that anyone was suspicious about Reid's odd disappearances.

Reid was walking with Elissa to Transfiguration. She was chatting about the big Quidditch Cup game coming up (Gryffindor was undefeated and were the favorites to win it), but Reid wasn't really paying full attention. Elissa finally said, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah," he said, cracking a brief smile. "I'm just feeling a little peaky...maybe I ate a bad egg this morning at breakfast. I'll go check in with Madam Pomfrey, but she'll probably make me stay in the Hospital Wing all night. I suppose that's better than getting sick all over Mac or Travis, though..."

Elissa looked concerned. "You're sick or absent an awful lot, Reid. I'm worried about you. Is someone holding a vendetta? Do they want you out of Hogwarts for good and trying poison you?"

Reid laughed. "Of course not, Elissa. I don't know where you get these hare-brained ideas."

She didn't look away. "I'm not the only one that's noticed. Katie's talked about how you're gone a lot, too. Of course, she talks about you a lot anyway..."

Reid furrowed his brow. "Katie talks about me a lot?"

"Yeah, she really likes—oh crap. You didn't know?" Elissa bit her lip. "Reid, don't tell anyone! Oh my gosh, she'll be so embarrassed."

Reid felt his face grow hot. His heart gave a gentle jump as he thought of Katie talking about him..._him_!

Elissa cleared her throat. The Transfiguration door was in sight. "Anyway, Reid, why _are_ you gone? You didn't answer my question yet, and you know I'm going to find out eventually."

Her words haunted Reid. _I'm going to find out eventually_. It was the truth and he couldn't deny it. He ground his teeth hard, thinking of a good answer. Just as he opened his mouth, he was saved by Professor Amor, who said, "Mr. Lewis, Miss Bradshaw, don't be late to my class."

"No ma'am," answered Elissa, but she didn't tear her eyes away from Reid. "I'm going to find out," she whispered to him as she entered the Transfiguration classroom.

Reid didn't know how long it would take her to figure out his secret, but he dreaded the very moment.

--

After class, Elissa walked determinedly to Professor Amor at the front of the room. "Yes?" asked the professor.

"May I please speak to you for a moment?"

"Of course, Elissa."

Elissa took a deep breath. Professor Amor was the teacher she trusted most at Hogwarts, but voicing her worries to anyone seemed risky. What if Reid's predicament was nothing?

"Professor, I'm really worried about Reid," she said quickly. The words started spilling out, beyond her control. "I mean, he's gone a lot, and I'm scared that someone's trying to poison him or something. What if he's in danger? And I get the feeling he's hiding something from me by the way he talks about it, and I feel like I have the right to know if one of my best friends is in danger. But if he won't tell me..."

Professor Amor gave Elissa a kind but sad smile. "I'm sorry, Elissa, but that matter is between Mr. Lewis and the headmistress. I wouldn't be able to tell you even if I wanted." She paused, contemplating something that Elissa couldn't see. "Elissa...I know he's your friend. I think...eventually...you'll understand why he's not telling you..."

Elissa felt frustration well up inside. "So you can't tell me anything?"

Professor Amor shook her head.

She sighed and gathered her books. "Thank you, Professor. Have a nice afternoon." Elissa turned to leave.

"Elissa?"

"Mm?"

Professor Amor hesitated. "I was thinking it would be a lovely night to go stargazing with Professor Sinsitra, but I wondered if you knew what the weather would be."

Elissa, confused, shrugged but glanced out the window. Sunlight was streaming into the room. "Well, Professor, I could bet my bottom dollar it was going to be a clear night, but _I_ wouldn't go stargazing. You won't be able to see some of the stars because it's a full moon, and—" Elissa stopped, choking on her own breath as she inhaled sharply. Her heart was pounding like crazy, but she gathered herself and finished her explanation. "It's a full moon tonight," she said slowly, "so the light pollution will block out some of the stars." She squinted at Professor Amor, who was smiling, and added, "Thanks again, Professor."

On her way out the door, Elissa was sure she heard Professor Amor chuckle, but it could have just been a mistake.

--

Reid was in the library when Elissa finally found him. Thoughts raced through her mind uncontrollably and her hands shook anxiously. She felt her face distort into some kind of distraught expression, but she couldn't help herself. She screwed up her eyes as if looking into a bright spotlight.

"Reid," she said as she approached him. He looked up from his book.

"You found out." It was a simple, hollow statement. Elissa felt her heart break at his words.

"I found out."

She felt her eyes start to burn but shook her head. She couldn't lose composure in the library...

"So..." He stood up, closing his novel. "What do you think of me now?" he asked bitterly.

Her lip trembled, and suddenly she hugged him. "I think you should have told me earlier."


	12. Full Moon

**A/N: Deathly Hallows spoilers from here on out, folks. Don't read if you don't want to get spoiled.**

**--**

Mac was sitting on his bed in his dormitory when he heard the arguing voices. He stowed away his notes for the up-coming exams and crept to the closed door to listen.

"Do not tell him, Elissa."

_Elissa?_ What was Elissa doing by _his_ dormitory?

"I'm going to whether you like it or not, Reid Lewis."

"You sound like my mother."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now move over so I can get in."

"No."

There were some scuffling sounds, and then, "_Lumos!" _Bright light streamed through the crack between the door and the jam.

"Agh!" cried Reid, and the door suddenly burst open, knocking Mac aside. Elissa helped him up from the ground.

"Sorry, Mac, but dear _Reid_ wouldn't let me into your dormitory," said Elissa, looking daggers at Reid.

"Don't ever do that again," gasped Reid, rubbing his eyes and stumbling into the room.

Elissa shrugged noncommittally. To Mac, she said, "Reid has some news for us. He's been keeping secrets."

Reid looked highly uncomfortable and glanced at the late afternoon sky in the window. "Elissa..."

"You want to know why Reid's gone all the time?"

Mac eyed them both suspiciously. "Sure..."

"He's a werewolf."

Mac snorted. "Yeah, right. What did you really want to tell me?"

Elissa gave him a peculiar look. "Reid's a werewolf," she stated again, slowly and clearly. Meanwhile, Reid rubbed his forehead.

"What?" Mac felt his face start to fall. "What do you mean? Are you kidding me?"

Elissa rolled her eyes. "I'm dead serious, Mac. I don't really know the whole story..." She looked at Reid for help.

Reid sighed and shut the door, then taking a seat on his bed. "It's true, Mac. I was bitten five years ago, 1997, before You-Know-Who—"

"His name's Voldemort," said Elissa.

"Right, before _Voldemort_ was defeated. It was when the werewolves were on a rampage under Greyback. Since then..." He shuddered.

"Where do you go here at school?" asked Mac.

"The Shrieking Shack. Madam Pomfrey says that there was only one other werewolf that ever went to Hogwarts and that the Shack was built for that purpose. Of course, I don't really need to be locked up because of the Wolfsbane Potion, but it's a precaution to make sure no one stumbles in on me."

Mac felt kind of numb as he listened to Reid's explanation. All of the new information seemed to bombard his brain in a way that only some of it stuck.

"And tonight is the full moon," said Elissa. "So you'll..."

"Yes, Elissa, I'll transform," said Reid scathingly. Elissa looked upset, and he added, "Sorry. Didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"It's not that... It's just that..."

"You feel sorry for me? Don't, Elissa, I don't want your pity."

She clamped her mouth shut. "That's not was I was going to say, Reid. Be a little understanding, okay? I just now found out that you're a _werewolf _and snapping at me after every sentence is _not_ helping."

Mac ignored their bickering and said, "How can we help? Now that we know, we can't just sit around and do nothing."

Reid shook his head. "That's exactly what you have to do. Go to sleep like normal tonight...I'll be back in the morning."

Elissa looked at them both and said, "I don't know about you, Mac, but I've already decided that I'm going to the Shrieking Shack tonight."

"Excellent idea, Elissa. Reid, how do—"

"You two are _not_ going anywhere near that shack! Do you realize how dangerous that would be? You'd be locked in a house with a werewolf!"

"But a _tame_ werewolf," added Elissa.

Reid rolled his eyes.

"Hey, be a little less sadistic, okay?" said Mac. "You're being awfully hard on her. I don't think it's a bad idea at all."

"Elissa, I'm really sorry. It's just really hard..."

"It's okay, Reid. I understand...a little. But I really think that if you'd let us..."

Mac noticed Reid chewing on his bottom lip. "I dunno... I guess I can't stop you from doing what you want...but please be careful..."

"So that's a yes?" asked Mac excitedly.

"Of course that's a yes!" Elissa beamed at him. "What time, Reid?"

"Tonight I'll be in the shack around eight...moon rise is half past the hour... Please don't come till nine, okay?"

Elissa pursed her lips, shooting a look at Mac. He shrugged and said, "Whatever."

She smiled kindly at Reid. "It's a date."

He snorted.

--

Mac and Elissa left the common room at 8:45. Mac could sense Elissa's excitement and worry mingling with his own feelings of apprehension. He gripped his wand tighter.

Elissa used a hand mirror to peer around the corners. They didn't meet any opposition until the first floor, where Mrs. Norris was prowling in the corridor. She left soon and they continued down to the Entrance Hall.

"So Reid said we'd be able to get back inside in the morning when...when Madam Pomfrey comes to get him," whispered Elissa. "I guess we'll just have to spend the night in the Shrieking Shack." She pushed open the oak front doors and slipped into the night. Mac followed, shutting the door softly behind him as Elissa's wand ignited.

Like Reid had instructed, Mac found a long branch and prodded the knot on the trunk of the Whomping Willow. The tree froze, and he and Elissa crept down the tunnel under its roots.

Elissa led the way, and Mac was happy to let her face whatever was at the end. The enthusiasm (or what you will) he had felt earlier was waning slowly. After all, Reid was a _werewolf_...

Dim light was visible at the end of the tunnel, and Elissa extinguished the light on the tip of her wand. She first stepped onto the weathered wood floor, followed shortly by Mac.

"Reid?" called Elissa softly. Mac felt his heart beating in his throat. "Reid?"

"Maybe he's on the next floor up," said Mac. She nodded and headed for the stairs. "Hey, Elissa, wait. There's a note." Mac lifted the paper from off of the floor and read it silently.

_Mac and Elissa,_

_If you guys don't want to stay, I won't be hurt. Elissa, I'm sorry I was a jerk earli—_

He handed the note to Elissa, who skimmed it and said, "What's the deal? He didn't finish it."

"Maybe he lost track of the time and..."

Elissa paled significantly.

"No, no!" said Mac. "Never mind, Elissa, I'm sure it wasn't that."

"What else could it be?" she muttered, still looking sick. "Poor Reid."

"Let's go look in some of the rooms down here," Mac suggested, changing the subject. "I don't like the look of that staircase."

"Well...that door at the end of the hall is shut. Do you think...?"

They exchanged a nervous glance and started walking as one. Elissa reached the doorknob first and pushed it open.

"Reid?" said Mac. Elissa stepped in ahead of him.

"Reid, we're—" She screamed as something big, furry, and brown jumped from the top of the dresser and pinned her to the rickety bed. A jet of blue light shot from her wand tip, just missing Mac's right ear. He fumbled for his own wand, backing away quickly and tripping over his own feet.

From his awkward position on the floor, Mac heard a bark of laughter and Elissa saying, "Reid, you _moron_! Are you completely daft?!"

Pulling himself to a more dignified sitting pose, Mac saw that Elissa was sitting sitting up in the bed, her arms clutched around her stomach as she panted slightly. The wolf sat grinning on the pillow.

"You nearly gave me heart failure."

"Reid?" asked Mac.

The wolf wagged its tail.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap," hissed Elissa just loud enough to be heard. To Reid she said, "You had better dread when the moon sets because I am going to _kill you_."

Mac laughed. "Nice one, Reid."

"Gah," spat Elissa, rubbing her arms. "_Boys_..."

"Hey, why don't you show us around? We've never been in here before."

Reid nodded and jumped off the bed silently. Elissa followed, brushing past Mac coldly. He chuckled.

--

Elissa checked the clock. 11:43. She yawned. Mac was reading _The Evening Prophet_ silently on the old, moth-eaten sofa across the room. Reid was sleeping next to her and she could hear him snore quietly. She scratched behind his ear absentmindedly, yawning again. She tried to review the different spells they'd learned throughout the year so her mind would be fresh when exams came around, but sleep was clouding her mind. She found herself thinking instead of Robert and Bludgers, stars and full moons...

--

Reid blinked awake. Elissa was leaning against him, her mouth hanging open. He smiled, glad that she was relaxed enough around a werewolf to fall asleep on one. He got up gently, careful not to stir her, and trotted to the nearest boarded-up window. He peered through a crack in the wood; the moon hung low over the forest. Sighing, he left his two sleeping friends to their dreams as he waited for the rising sun.


	13. Failure

Despair was beginning to settle over the Gryffindor portion of the stadium. Renee could feel it weighing them down, and to match was the dark and cloudy sky. Slytherin was up eighty points. Everything was going wrong for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"GO MAC!" yelled Katie, pumping her fists. Renee smiled at her friend's enthusiasm but it didn't help cheer her up.

"Come on Elissa," said Reid on Renee's other side as Slytherin gained twenty more points. "Get the Snitch..."

"Oh, looks like Stunts just got a face-full there. Hit by a Bludger but he's still going." The smirk could be heard in Gerald Grim's voice as it echoed across the pitch.

"GO GRYFFINDOR!" Renee refused to give it up despite it all. "GOOO!"

Cheers erupted on the Slytherin side. They'd just scored..._again_.

"Mac, Mac, Mac," whispered Reid desperately. "You have to get us some points..."

--

Mike flew by, his face covered in blood. "Are you all right?" called Mac. The captain nodded and cringed but didn't stop.

Mary intercepted the Quaffle and tossed it to Simon. Mac accelerated up the field after them, dodging a Bludger on the way. Simon was within the scoring zone and...

Saved. Mac shouted nonsense in frustration and raced after the Slytherin Chaser that had the ball. What was going on?

--

"End it, Elissa!" Mike commanded as he charged a Bludger. "We can't win it! End it!"

180-10 and no signs of turning around. Elissa felt tears of aggravation, failure, well up in her eyes. She hated that they were there, that she was weak enough to display a breakdown. She hated it and she was not going to let them see. _She was going to end it with dignity._

That was when the rain started. She felt it drip onto her nose first, caressing her skin with chilly fingers, and then it was all around. Thunder rumbled deep in the distance. _She was going to end it._

She could see the Gryffindors shaking their heads with shame. They had given up on their team long ago, and she hated their despair. She was _not_ going to let it go on any longer; _it was going to end with her._

Somehow she knew where to look. Through the rain, the wind that tossed her hair, she knew it was there and she knew that it was waiting for her. She could feel the eyes of the stadium following her, only her, but she didn't care, not about anything. Slytherin's Seeker didn't stand a chance; he couldn't Seek worth crap and she knew it. They all knew it. She knew it with every pore as her fist closed around the cold, wet metal. _It was ended._

The team landed silently as one, drenched and shivering. Elissa handed Mac the struggling Snitch. "I did it for you, Mac. I'm sorry. Happy birthday."


	14. Birthday Revelations

It was September 9. Their second year had begun and, what was more, it was Renee's birthday.

Evening was falling in the common room as Reid, Elissa, Katie, Mac, and Travis surrounded her and sang loudly (and badly). But Renee didn't mind; the sour notes and off-tune nature made it all the more entertaining...and attention-grabbing. Elissa hit a particularly high note just as Travis's voice cracked. This caused Katie to burst into laughter and fall over, sending an intricate glass lamp toppling from a coffee table with a crash. The small chorus didn't bother to finish their debut jingle.

Reid repaired the lamp with a wave of his wand while Renee helped the still-laughing Katie to her feet. "You okay?"

"Okay? I've never been better." Grinning, Katie brushed off her shirt. "Lovely, guys. We should do an encore."

Renee giggled. "Maybe another time. I think you've graced the other Gryffindors with your superior musical skills for long enough."

At that moment, Mike Stunts burst through the portrait hole brandishing a wad of hand-outs. "Quidditch try-outs on the twenty-fifth! Williams is gone this year so we need a Keeper." To Renee he said, "Happy birthday! Sorry I'm late showing up. I ran into a roadblock on the way up; that Ravenclaw Seeker was snogging some Hufflepuff in the corridor and I couldn't get past for—"

"WHAT?" burst Elissa.

Mike, looking taken aback, repeated, "Yeah, the Ravenclaw Seeker. What's his name? Romeo or Ronald or something?"

"It's Robert," said Elissa, looking shocked. Renee felt her own stomach churn with pity.

"Yeah, that one. Well, he was getting very..._acquainted_ with that Huffle—HEY? Where are you going?"

Elissa darted up the spiral staircase to the girls' dormitories without a sound. Her hair, which had turned a sullen grayish-brown, whipped around the corner.

"Should I not have mentioned that?" asked Mike, beseeching them all.

"No, Mike," answered Renee. "But that's okay. I'll go handle this." She followed her friend's steps up the stairs, rounding the corner swiftly and bursting into their dormitory.

Elissa sat on her bed, staring bewilderedly at the wall. "I thought he loved _me_."

"He's a jerk, Elissa," Renee said fiercely. "He doesn't deserve you."

She turned her eyes on Renee. They were a somber gray, colorless and depressed. "I know I shouldn't care but...it's hard. I can't just _stop_ having feelings for him..."

Renee sat beside her. "Yeah. But you're only twelve; it's not real love. It's just a crush..."

"It still hurts..." Her voice broke.

Feeling that it was best to leave Elissa alone, Renee said,"Hey, Liss, I'm gonna head down again, 'kay?"

Elissa nodded, and Renee hugged her and walked out, shutting the door behind her. With a sigh she turned to the spiral staircase...but it wasn't there. In its place was a perfect slide and..._grunts_ were drifting upward. She stood there, confused, and a hand came around the bend, followed by another, each gripping the slick slide with iron strength.

"CRAP!"

The hands disappeared, followed by a strange squeaking sound, as if someone was struggling not to slide down.

"Reid?" Renee arched an eyebrow. "What are you _doing_?"

"Oof!"

The grunts and squeaks were replaced by rustling as the person gave way and slid down. Highly curious, Renee plopped onto the staircase-slide and let gravity take over. She flew down it and landed next to Reid at the bottom with a thud.

"So it _was_ you," she said. "Why were you so anxious to get into the _girls' _dorms?"

Reid, looking very disgruntled, answered, "Elissa's always there for me...shouldn't I be there for her, too?"

Renee beamed. "So you were willing to try to climb up a slide to get to her? That's so sweet! Reid, that's completely adorable."

The brown-haired boy flushed. "Yeah, well...she's one of my best friends, right?" He turned his intense golden eyes on her and she smiled again. And she felt a..._flutter_. Suddenly, Renee could see why Katie fancied him so.

Mac helped them both to their feet, but Renee didn't break the eye contact. There was something girlish in his eyes, but at the same time something inexplicably _masculine_...

Elissa sped down the slide and landed rather gracefully. She looked shaken up but otherwise back to normal; her hair, at least, was a cheery flaming red. "Who tried to get up the staircase?"

"I did," said Reid. He wrapped his arms around her and Renee couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealously. "Will you be okay?"

"Yeah." Elissa seemed to brighten as she hugged him back. "I'm fine." They broke apart, smiling at each other, and Renee cleared her throat louder than she needed.

"Happy birthday again," said Reid. "Well, I'm gonna turn in; I have some homework I should work on away from this noise. G'night." He grinned at Renee and turned with a flourish to go to his own room.

As Renee smiled rather dreamily after him, she abruptly noticed that Katie was looking at him in the same way...

--

Renee was just preparing for bed when she noticed the small package on her pillow. "What's this?"

Elissa looked up from her book and shrugged. "Open it."

She untied the thin ribbon and wheedled her finger under a flap of the plain brown wrapping paper, careful not to damage it.

"Oh come on!" Elissa rolled her eyes. "Just rip it all off! It's not like you'll save it or anything, and it's not even that pretty!"

Renee just smiled and continued to do it her way. The paper finally fell off to reveal an elaborate silver box. She tipped the top open; inside was a large glass marble and a note that said, _May I guide you through the flavored future_. She read it to Elissa, who just stared.

"Well that makes perfect sense," her friend scoffed. "Clear as _mud_. And there's no name?"

Renee flipped the small note over. "No name at all."

"Fiercely intriguing. Well, good night. Maybe you'll find out who did it in the morning." Elissa got up, stretched, and added, "I'm going to wash up. Back in a bit."

Renee was left in silence to contemplate. She had no idea who the secret giver could be, but she knew who she _wanted_ it to be...


	15. Girls are Weird

Reid was under a tree on the Hogwarts lawn while reading when Mac and Elissa showed up. The two were laughing and talking, but on their approach, Mac said, "Reid! We've been looking for you. We're heading to the Quidditch pitch to play some ball; wanna come?"

He shrugged. "I'm not much of a flier."

"Aw, come on!" chimed Elissa. "It's a beautiful autumn day! Don't tell me you plan to waste it away sitting on your butt. You read all the time, anyway, and you know the weather's just going to get colder from here on out."

"Well, okay. But just for a little while." Reid stood up and brushed himself off, joining the stroll by Elissa.

"What's that book of yours?" she asked, straining to get a glimpse of the title.

"_Hairy Snout, Human Heart_," said Reid with a dry, humorless laugh. "Written about lycanthropy. Perfect for me, no?"

Mac smiled sympathetically. "I guess it is. Is it good?"

"Very good."

"Speaking of werewolves, have you told Renee and Katie your little secret yet? You promised you would." Elissa eyed him suspiciously.

"Er..."

"Of course not. You should really jump on it, Reid."

"Yeah...right."

The trio walked in silence. Reid wished he hadn't brought up anything to do with werewolves.

"Oh yeah, Katie, Renee, and Matt said they might meet up with us at the field," stated Mac dryly, breaking the ice. "Just so you know..." He looked at Reid peculiarly.

"What?" he asked, feeling Mac's blue-hazel eyes bore into him. "Stop looking at me like that, you're creeping me out."

"Sorry," replied Mac, turning to gaze at the ground. "It's just...I think they fancy you."

"Matt _fancies_ me?!" exclaimed Reid, appalled. Elissa burst out laughing.

"Not _him_." Mac's face colored and he gritted his teeth, clearly uncomfortable around the subject. "I mean the other two...they act all goofy when you're around... And when we mentioned that you might be at the pitch with us, they jumped at the chance. Girls are weird."

Elissa punched him in the arm.

"Cheese, Elissa, you don't have to hit so hard. I'm entitled to my opinion."

"Jerkface," she muttered. "You'll be single for life if you act that way. Notice that they fancy _Reid_ and not _you_. That's because Reid is quiet, smart, and sweet."

Reid felt his own face grow hot.

"That's not fair to say. I mean, maybe I'm not quiet—"

"—or sweet," added Elissa.

"—or sweet," he agreed, "but I have good marks. I'm not stupid."

Elissa snorted, Mac ignored her, and Reid just became more uncomfortable.

"So you really think they...like me?"

"Yeah, pretty much, Reid. I mean, haven't you noticed the way they hang on your every word? The way they fawn over you is much like the way dearest Mac here drools over Professor Sinistra—"

"Ergh, Elissa, that's disgusting!" cried Mac. Reid almost cracked a rib laughing.

"Serves you right, mister, talking so smugly about your grades." Elissa paused and giggled. "Smugly—that's a funny word. 'Ugly' with S-M at the front."

They had reached the pitch. Waiting for them were Renee and Matt. "Katie had some homework," they explained.

"Ah," said Mac. "Well, head on in. I'll grab our brooms from the shed." He darted around the corner.

Renee fell behind Elissa and Matt to walk with Reid. He shuffled his feet as she said, "How's everything? I noticed you got sick one night last week."

"Yeah, I had a bad cold. I slept in the Hospital Wing." The lie came easily to Reid, easier than he liked.

Renee grunted. "So you like to play Quidditch?"

"Not really. Mac and Elissa dragged me into this."

"Oh."

As they entered the stadium, Mac soared over the high stands carrying brooms for them all. He handed Elissa her Cleansweep and gave the others the school-owned Shooting Stars. Reid took his with a smile that hid his inner anxiety.

Mac and Elissa were first in the air, followed shortly by Renee. Matt stood beside Reid as he prepared himself mentally.

"Dude, she is totally checking you out."

"You mean Elissa?" Elissa had just smiled at him.

"No. I mean Renee."

Reid mumbled jibberish as he mounted his broomstick and tentatively kicked off.

The ground fell away surprisingly quickly, and he wobbled nervously on the Shooting Star. He gulped.

Matt rocketed upward, his tailwind ruffling Reid's brown hair. "Oi, mate! C'mon!"

Reid gritted his teeth and tried desperately to steady himself. "Are you okay?" asked Renee, flying over.

"I'm fine," he growled. Renee looked hurt, so he added, "I don't like heights much."

"I can see that." Renee batted her eyelashes.

"Is there something in your eye?"

Elissa, who was in mid-dive, cracked up as she passed, yelling behind her, "Reid, YOU'RE SUCH A NERD!"

"Wha...?"

Renee just smiled and said, "No, my eyes are fine, thanks."

Matt soon pulled out a basketball and, with the help of Elissa, an avid fan of that particular Muggle sport, explained what the crud basketball was.

"So," Elissa finished for him, "Muggles run up and down the court and try to get the ball through the basket. It's really similar to Quidditch but without the primitive, bat-wielding Beaters, lethal flying Bludgers, and tiny Golden Snitch that's nearly impossible to find."

Reid and Renee shared a confused glance, but Mac seemed to understand. "I've known some of this for a while," he explained to them. "Elissa never shuts up about American college basketball."

"Best sport on the face of the planet besides Quidditch," she said proudly.

"Yeah, and what's that team you love so much? Tar Heads or something?"

"Tar Heels!" she cried indignantly. "The University of North Carolina! My mum, a Muggle-born, mind you, went to school there because her parents insisted she go to non-magical college. So she was an English exchange student there..."

Reid wasn't any less confused, but he didn't say anything.

"Game time," said Matt, tossing the orange rubber ball to Mac. "Let's start out with some simple catch."

Everyone kicked off of the ground in a circular formation. They spread out. To Reid's left was Renee, and on his other side was Elissa.

The ball was tossed from Mac to Matt in a clockwise direction, and then from Mac to Elissa. Elissa, grinning, turned her broom toward Reid and hurled the basketball in his general direction. Reid, completely mortified, whizzed forward clumsily to attempt to intercept it. Naturally, he missed, so Elissa dove after the ball. After an impressive catch just above the ground, she returned and handed him the rescued ball. "Sorry," she said.

"S'okay." Elissa soared back to her place, and Reid tossed the ball to Renee. It wasn't a good throw, but it wasn't bad, either, and she managed to catch it. She flashed her teeth at him and batted her eyes some more. Reid just smiled awkwardly.

As the game progressed and they began to race each other while still passing the baskteball, Reid controlled the urge to look down and suppressed his fear. It seemed like forever before they all landed together.

Mac, looking windblown, said, "Great game. It's probably about time to turn in, though. Matt, will you take these back to the shed?"

Matt agreed and leaved the other four to begin the long walk up to the castle. Renee, not surprisingly, fell in step with Reid.

"Considering you don't like to fly, you did really well."

"Thanks," he answered, looking away.

Renee was silent. "Reid, I..."

"Hold on for a minute."

Reid stopped, letting Mac and Elissa pull ahead and out of earshot.

"Okay, Renee, before you make a mistake, there's something you should know." She looked up at him, her dark coffee eyes blazing in the sunset. He took a deep breath and gazed out over the lake. "I'm a werewolf."

"You're a...werewolf?" He nodded, and she exhaled slowly. "I didn't expect..."

"No one would expect unless they noticed that whenever I get sick, there just happens to be a full moon."

"So...does Katie know?"

He wiped his forehead tiredly. "No. Just you...and Mac and Elissa."

"Oh." She followed his eyes across the lake. "_Elissa_ knows? So you and her are..."

"No. Elissa's just a friend."

"Oh. Okay." She smiled brightly, making eye contact with him. "Because..."

"HEY GUYS!" called Mac, far ahead. "COME ON—"

Elissa slapped him, hissing something inaudible. "SORRY!" she yelled to them, waving.

"Well, we should probably head up to the castle," suggested Reid, happy to change the subject. He really did not want to choose between Renee and Katie...or even think about romance with _anyone_ at the moment.

The two walked in silence. Later, in the boy's dormitory, Reid told Mac, "You were right. Girls _are_ weird."


	16. The Mysteries Never Cease

It was November 5, Elissa's birthday, and another package from the mystery giver had arrived.

Mac noticed the small red owl pecking at the boys' dormitory window first. "Elissa, isn't that Clovis?"

She, Reid, and Renee looked up from the small celebration. "Oh yeah, it is." Elissa walked to the window and let in the tiny screech owl, untying the small parcel that was wrapped in plain brown paper. Shooting a very meaningful look at Renee, she ripped the paper off without care. "_That's_ how the experts unwrap their presents," she said.

"So... what is it?" asked Reid. Mac felt curiosity bubbling up inside him.

Elissa opened the silver box, very similar to what Renee received, and pulled out a small pocket mirror. She looked at the note and said, "_I show you who you really are._"

"What does that mean?" burst Mac. "It makes no sense."

"Well it sounds like..." Elissa furrowed her brow. "It sounds like it would show me what I would look like if I wasn't a Metamorphmagus."

"Here's a regular mirror," said Renee, offering a make-up mirror from her bag. "Try and guess what you naturally look like."

Elissa took it and played around with her appearance for a while. Finally, she paused and shut her eyes, as if meditating. The red color of her hair was replaced by golden-brown, and when she opened her eyes, they were green. "There we go," she said. "That feels right." She checked the regular and looked into her new gift.

"Well...?" asked Mac, rather excited.

"I look...the same. So does that mean...?"

"Turn your hair some random color," Renee proposed. Elissa obliged; it turned bright purple, and she checked her new mirror again.

"It's still brown in the mirror, so that means..."

"That is so cool!" exclaimed Renee. Mac grunted a reply, rather nonchalant, and Reid shrugged.

"I don't really know what to think of it. I mean, it's proof that someone out there knows what I am...and I don't think I know _them_..."

Mac noticed Reid staring confusedly out the window and wondered what he was thinking about. He looked troubled... To Elissa, he said, "Don't worry about it. It's probably some dumb Slytherin's idea of a joke."

"Mac, what is it with you and Slytherin?" accused Renee. "Sure, they beat you last year in Quidditch, but you seem to insult them an awful lot."

"It's not the Quidditch," he muttered.

"Then what is it?!" she burst.

"Nothing."

Renee just rolled her eyes.

"Reid, what's so fascinating outside?" Elissa set down her new gift and walked over to stand by the brown-haired boy. "You're awfully entranced by whatever it is, and you don't have a reason to be watching for the moon."

"Sorry if I seem distracted. I'm just thinking about who would send you and Renee these gifts...and who they're planning to contact next."

"You're all taking this way too seriously," scoffed Mac. "I'm telling you, it's some practical joke."

"Maybe we are making a mountain of a molehill. Let's go for a walk or something to get it off our minds," suggested Renee, and Mac smiled at her gratefully.

The foursome traipsed down to the front lawn and basked in the warmth of the setting sun. Mac sat by Elissa. "Happy birthday!"

She smiled at him. "Thanks. I'm still a little worried about that secret gift-giver, though..."

"Hey, don't sweat it. If they pull any funny business, they'll answer to me."

Elissa rolled her eyes. "Ooooh, scary."

Mac just grinned.

"Yeah, Elissa, you don't have to worry about stalkers. Mac and I will take care of them," said Reid, sitting on her other side.

"You should listen to the werewolf more, Liss. He knows what he's talking about." Mac nudged her playfully.

"You guys are such dorks."

Reid laughed.

"Oi, Renee looks depressed," said Mac, lowering his voice. He gestured to the edge of the forest where she was walking.

"Geez, what bit her bottom? Reid, you should go talk to her."

Reid, looking frightened, shook his head vigorously.

"Are you afraid of her?" asked Elissa. "Or are you afraid of love?"

"Not afraid of love...just afraid of breaking her heart."

It was then that Mac realized that Reid didn't have any romantic feelings for Renee, and Elissa apparently had the same epiphany. She looked at Reid strangely, trying to catch his eye, but his gaze was far across the Hogwarts grounds. Mac, feeling that someone ought to go talk to Renee, left and walked toward the pretty, dark-haired girl. She looked up at his approach.

"So..." He kicked a stone. "What are you thinking about?"

Renee shrugged, turning away from him toward the depths of the Forbidden Forest. She sighed and said, "He doesn't like me, does he?"

"Of course he likes you. Only...he likes you as a friend, not more." Mac felt he was straying into enemy territory; love was not his strong point, and he had previously vowed never to become a therapist.

"Okay."

That was all? She wasn't going to blow up all over him? No yelling?

"I think I always knew he didn't like me that way. Mum always said that when a boy likes you..._really_ likes you, he'll look you straight in the eye and you'll be able to see his heart, and in it will show you that he's in love. Reid never looked at me that way...but he—"

She was cut off by a rustling in the nearby bushes.

"What was that?"

Mac shook his head, raising his wand. Suddenly, from the depths of the shrubs, slithered a single gray snake with glowing scarlet eyes, winding through the grass quickly towards the lakeside cliffs. Renee screamed, and a boom echoed from Mac's wand in his surprise. The snake quickened, but Mac suddenly said, "_Stop_!" Renee gasped, but he paid no attention to her. The serpent paused, and he waved his wand while muttering something. The thing shriveled up with a terrible hissing noise and disappeared.

Elissa and Reid ran towards them. "What happened?"

Mac wiped his brow. "It was an Ashwinder."

"An Ashwinder?" Reid raised one eyebrow. "Those only come from magical fires. Did you—?"

"No, we didn't burn anything, but someone did. Someone's camping in the forest, and I have a very strong feeling that they shouldn't be here."

"Did it lay eggs?" A panicked look crossed Elissa's face. "It could start a wildfire!"

"No eggs; they die after laying them, and this one was very much alive."

Renee still looked like she had suffered a stroke, so Elissa inquired, "What's wrong?"

"He said—he talked—_he told the Ashwinder something_! And it stopped moving!"

"What's she talking about?" asked Reid. "Are you a snake charmer?"

"No!" burst Renee. "He's a Parselmouth!"

----

**A/N: Goodness this chapter was hard to write. I dunno why, but it certainly was :P SO! I'm curious here, readers: what pairings in this do you like? Who do you think will be paired in the future?? I have plans, but I want to know what you all think. Please tell me in a review! Remember, my happiness is just a button-click away! **


	17. Heartbreaker

Elissa rested her cheek against the cool window in he dormitory. The rain pattered against the glass, drizzling down it as she watched lazily. She was, as her father would say, "down in the dumps," and was moping in a very teenager-like way.

Feeling a little overwhelmed by the loneliness, she wandered down to the near-empty Gryffindor common room. The only inhabitants were Reid and Mac, who were reading silently. She took a seat by Reid on the couch.

"Everything all right?" he asked, looking up from his book. "You look depressed."

"That's the understatement of the century," snorted Mac, turning a page. "She looks _dead_."

"Don't mind him, Liss. He's still sulking about the Parselmouth incident."

She rolled her eyes. "You never did tell us why you're so angry about that, Mac."

He shrugged, still not making eye contact with either of them. "Same reason that Reid's angry every full moon...It's a curse."

"It is _not_. I could see why Reid would call his lycanthropy is a curse, but he never does. You, on the other hand, have no reason to complain. Speaking a language is a gift, Mac."

"Whatever. Say what you like, but you can't change my mind about it."

Reid smiled sadly at Elissa. "He'll learn some day."

"You can't expect me to like this, and you can't tell me that I'll learn to live with it. I hate Slytherin because I'm a Parseltongue, and the Sorting Hat almost put me there because of my 'talent.' I can sulk about it all I want, thank you very much. Speaking of which, you two aren't exactly barrels of fun yourselves."

"Full moon tomorrow," Reid answered to explain his somberness. They each looked expectantly at Elissa.

"Robert."

The boys made sounds of understanding and went back to reading. Elissa leaned against Reid so she could see the text of his book. "Agh, Reid, why do you want a book about goblin rebellions?"

"Well, it's all about inter-species communication, isn't it? We have to learn to understand them so these things don't happen again."

"You're so scholarly." Elissa yawned and continued to read over his shoulder. "Goblins have the best names. Nagnok... Eargit the Ugly..." She laughed.

Reid smiled. "Yeah."

The fire crackled and emitted a friendly warmth. Elissa felt drowsy, and her eyes started to droop. Finally, she gave in to her exhaustion and fell asleep against Reid.

--

Elissa woke up later. The rain had stopped, and Mac and Reid were asleep. Reid was snoring softly.

She got up quietly as not to disturb them and walked through the portrait hole into the silent corridors; most students had left for the Christmas holiday, but she and Mac had stayed to be with Reid on the full moon.

She walked down, down, down and onto the chilly, wet grounds. Elissa wanted to clear her mind with some good, old-fashioned flying, and retrieved her Cleansweep from the shed. She strolled onto the Quidditch pitch and was met with a surprise.

"Hey, Elissa!"

"Robert?"

The Ravenclaw landed and dashed over. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to practice, but I don't want to impose—"

"Not at all! Come on, I'll release the Snitch and we'll have a competition."

"Oh...okay."

Elissa felt her heart drop as Robert raced away to get the small golden ball. Why did he have to be there with _her_? She looked around for any others from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, but they were quite alone. She mounted her broom and kicked off, followed by Robert.

"Here we go." He let the Snitch out of his hand and it disappeared into the hazy air. The two exchanged a glance and flew off after it.

Elissa glimpsed the gold and zoomed after it. She was just within reach when Robert came out of no where and snatched it right before her nose. "Wha—"

"Got it!" he boasted. He grinned at her.

"Lucky break. Best two out of three?"

Robert rolled his eyes but opened his hand nonetheless. The Snitch whirred away, and Elissa was careful not to let Robert out of her sight as she searched for it.

The game went on like this, and they finally landed after an hour of goofing off. They were both laughing, and Elissa felt her heart start when his hand brushed against hers. _She knew she couldn't have him, so why was she still like that?_

"That was fun, Robert." They were walking up to the double oak doors.

"Yeah." He turned his dark blue eyes on her, and she blushed.

"Hey, it's snowing," she pointed out. A few flakes were caught in his dark hair.

"It is."

They stopped just inside the doorway. Elissa looked up. "Ooh, mistletoe."

"Right," answered Robert, looking uncomfortable. "Well, I should go. Bye, Elissa." He walked quickly away—no kiss. Elissa just stared after him, unfeeling.

She walked slowly up to the Gryffindor common room. What had she expected? For him to suddenly forget about his Hufflepuff girlfriend and declare his undying love for her? People didn't do that.

"Hey, Liss—Liss?"

She stumbled blindly for the spiral staircase, ignoring Mac's exclamation.

"Elissa!"

Someone caught her wrist, spinning her around. It was Reid, and he looked alarmed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Something," said Mac.

"Well, my love life is in the trash, but what does it matter?" Elissa felt confused and hurt and did not want to face her two friends.

"Robert again?" The red-haired boy cracked his knuckles. "Why I oughta..."

"Don't pay any attention to that jerk. Someday he'll be poor and alone and you'll be with a guy that treats you like they should." Reid probed her with his yellow-brown eyes.

"I know but..." She looked pleadingly at Mac and Reid. "Can I just be alone for a while?"

They nodded, and Reid let her go. She turned and hurried up to the dormitory, feeling her two friends watch her with every step.

----

**A/N: The story is starting to take shape, if you've noticed. Lots of foreshadowing here, but mostly it's pretty subtle. If you want to try and figure out where this fic is going, I would tell you to read this and the last chapter very carefully and disect every bit...things that may seem like filler are actually pretty significant. In fact, I dare anyone that wants to take a chance to guess at something small that may mean something big. There are several right answers...**


	18. Choices, Choices

**A/N: Sorry for the slow up-date. School is time-consuming, if you catch my drift.**

**This seems like filler, but it isn't. It's quite necessary, actually.**

**_Annie_ reference (c) the _Annie_ people and HP universe (c) JKR as always**

----

"I want to take Arithmancy, but Care of Magical Creatures sounds fun, too."

"So take them both," suggested Renee.

"But I've already decided on Muggle Studies, and I want to take Ancient Runes and Divination. Taking them all would be too hard."

"Hm...Knowing you, Elissa, you'd probably get bored in Ancient Runes. I don't really think you have that kind of patience."

"True. You're taking it, right? So if I ever need a translation, I'll come see you."

"Okay. I think you can handle those four other classes without time travel."

Elissa looked over the list. "True. What are you taking?"

"Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes."

Mac sat across the table. "Discussing schedules? I'm in Divination and Care of Magical Creatures."

"Only?" asked Renee. She smiled a little and sang, "_Easy streeeeet_."

"What?" Elissa looked baffled.

"Never mind. It's a Muggle musical."

"That's _exactly_ what I mean when I decided to take Muggle Studies."

"Muggle Studies?" Reid sat next to Renee. "I'm taking that, along with Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures."

Renee looked him straight in the eyes. "Are you as ignorant of Muggle life as Elissa?"

He shrugged. "I know a little bit."

"Like what?"

"Well, they have those skirts with the poodles on them, right?"

"Dear Merlin."

Reid looked confused, but opened the _Daily Prophet_ anyway.

"Any news?" asked Mac.

"Potter sacked some Dark wizard, there were some protesters outside the Ministry yesterday, and, oooh, Galvin Gudgeon of the Chudley Cannons took a Bludger to the head. Sorry, Lissa."

Elissa only put on a determined face and said, "_Let's just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best_."

Renee smiled superiorly at the others. "I know something you don't."

"What?" they answered in unison.

"Can't tell, it's a surprise. But you'll know at the beginning of term."

"You're making us wait all summer?" asked Mac. "You're cruel."

"I'll give you one clue." She paused dramatically as they leaned in to hear better. "My mum's an artist."

They all groaned as she giggled and skipped off to her class.


	19. Third Year

Renee, along with the others, was finally allowed to see the surprise on the first day of their third year. Despite the fact that her own mother was in charge, she was strictly prohibited to view the big project before the start of term.

Throughout the train ride and feast, Elissa and Mac pestered her, trying to wheedle out any information she was hiding. Finally she caved, blurting, "Okay, okay, I don't really _know_ what it is! Happy?"

Elissa narrowed her eyes. "You don't know anything?"

"Well, my mum's been working on it since the summer of '98, and it's something to do with art..."

"Art?" Mac scratched his head confusedly. "And 1998? That's a huge art project...five whole years."

"Well, that's what she does for a living. She's really serious about this thing; she's traveled across the country for different research purposes. Until last month, she was barely ever home."

Reid, who wasn't paying much attention, finally looked up from his dessert. "What kind of painting would take that much time and effort?"

Renee shrugged.

A silence fell across the room as McGonagall stood. She cleared her throat and began to speak.

"This year, there is a special edition to our beautiful school. Joy Sandier has worked for years on her latest collection, and the final product will be displayed throughout the third floor."

"That's a lot of paintings," muttered Mac. Renee silently agreed.

"Most of you remember the battle of Dark Arts that raged here at Hogwarts, and some of you lost family and friends. Today we are proud to announce that Sandier has finished portraits of every casualty that happened at the battle...except for Voldemort."

There were several shudders that ran through the crowd even though he had been gone so long.

"Cheese Louise," grumbled Reid. "I see why it took that long."

"Hey, Reid," whispered Elissa suddenly. "Where were you on the train—"

Renee shushed her.

"All students will be led through the corridor on the way to the dormitories," finished McGonagall. "Prefects?"

Students all began to stand, pushing in the benches and generally making a loud raucous.

"Why weren't you on the train?" asked Elissa again, just in ear-shot of Renee.

"I live just beyond Hogsmeade. Didn't you know?"

"No. You never told us."

"Ah. Well, my parents made special trips to London the past couple of years so I could take the train, but this year we just barely got back from vacation."

"Cool. Where did you go?"

Renee followed the line of Gryffindors, losing the sound of Reid's voice in the crowd as they climbed the stairs. She was eager to see her mother's work...

The paintings lined the walls of the floor. Everywhere she looked there were people staring down at her. Tall, small, dark, light. It was rather baffling.

Suddenly she found herself back by Reid. He was reading the nameplate in front of the painting directly in front of them, and he gasped.

"Professor Remus Lupin! He's the other werewolf that was at Hogwarts years ago!"

"Really?" Renee examined the man that smiled sadly at them from the framed canvas. There was something very Reid-esque about him...or perhaps Reid was Lupin-ish...

"I always thought I would never meet him..."

"Professor?" asked Renee.

The aging werewolf locked eyes with her.

"Move along!" ushered the prefect, and Renee was torn away from the enchanted artwork.

"I don't think you realize how much work went into this," said Mac, coming up beside her. "First, of course, your mum had to paint it all. But then she would have to go dig up any memories she could get her hands on so that when she cast the spell to make them move and talk, they would be realistic. I mean, if she had painted Voldemort, she couldn't bewitch him to say things like, 'Bunnies are funny' and whatnot."

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." Renee was only half-listening and barely thinking about it.

What she was thinking of was Remus Lupin and those sad eyes.

----

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the slow up-dates! School is so busy... argh.**

**Next chapter jumps to the summer between third and fourth year because, frankly, nothing happens until then. Just to alert you to that...**


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